They were all shocked when Clary found out how ingeniously her mother had managed to hide the Mortal Cup. Jocelyn used a rune they'd never seen before and placed the Mortal Cup inside one of the tarot cards she created for a deck. Clary recalled her mother giving them to their neighbor, a mundane named Madame Dorothea, and after they all geared up and grabbed their weapons, they headed out in the rain to Clary's brownstone in Brooklyn.
It was shocking to see Clary draw the long lost Mortal Cup from a tarot card as if she were a magician pulling a rabbit out of a top hat. Their relief in finding it didn't last too long, however. Madame Dorothea had one of the few Portals in New York City in her living room and upon opening it, a demon emerged from it and killed her instantly. They all managed to run out into the foyer and out of the apartment, but the demon was too fast. It cornered them in the hallway, its overwhelming stench of garbage and rotting flesh making it hard not to gag.
"I am Abbadon. I am the Demon of the Abyss. Mine are the empty places between the worlds. Mine is the wind and the howling darkness. I am as unlike those mewling things you call demons as an eagle is unlike a fly. You cannot hope to defeat me. Give me the Cup or die."
"A Greater Demon," Eva felt a chill run through her body and settle in the pit of her stomach. The scar on her abdomen burned as a reminder of what it meant to face a Greater Demon. Eva met Isabelle's horrified glance, shocked to see her parabatai pale in fright.
Of course Jace resorted to taunting Abbadon, calling it ugly and saying it smelled like a landfill in Staten Island. Predictably, Abbadon lunged for Jace continuously, ignoring Izzy's whip lashes, Alec's arrows, and Eva's chakrams. They only received some sort of reaction from it when Alec got in its way, piercing it with his feather staff. To their horror, Abbadon's talons caught Alec, lifted him off the ground, and tossed him like a ragdoll across the corridor in a sickening crunch. When Izzy dashed towards her brother, Eva ran after her, but Abbadon was faster and backhanded them, sending them spinning onto the ground. Izzy stood up, but the demon struck her down again.
"Izzy..." Eva groaned, feeling her muscles screaming from the blow. She saw the demon head for Clary but seeing Jace was there to protect her, she began to crawl towards her parabatai lying unmoving on the ground. Eva reached into her belt for her stele and quickly carved an iratze on Izzy's arm. The girl immediately sprung up with a jolt of energy and took Eva's stele to return the favor with another iratze.
Simon ended up killing Abbadon against all odds. He shot an arrow into the skylight, letting shafts of sunlight beam through and burn the Greater Demon out of their world. Only scorch marks were left behind to show where it once stood.
Alec was still unconscious, and if it wasn't for his shallow breathing, one would say he was dead. Jace cut open his shirt and cursed under his breath. "Damn it! There's demon poison in him!"
They carried Alec into Simon's van and sped through the streets like hell was chasing them. Izzy was squeezing Eva's hand, desperately trying to keep it together, but Eva knew Izzy was at her breaking point. She had a scare once with her own parabatai, and now her brother was in the same predicament, and they didn't have Raphael here to halt the effects of the demon poison with his saliva.
When they arrived at the Institute, Jace carried Alec to the infirmary where Hodge was waiting for them, ready to do what he could. Unfortunately, there wasn't much their tutor could do other than sedate him.
"I have to contact the Silent Brothers—I've done what I can to make him comfortable," Hodge said, cleaning his bloody hands on a damp rag. Izzy didn't look up nor did she respond; she was clutching onto her brother's hand as if someone was going to take him away if she didn't. Eva was at her side with a hand on her shoulder.
"Jace and Clary are out in the hallway," Eva said softly, looking at Hodge. "Jace is probably blaming himself."
"As usual." Hodge shook his head before he turned on his heel and left the infirmary. Through the open door, she saw Jace and Clary went along with him to summon the Silent Brothers.
"It's going to be alright," Eva said. Isabelle didn't move. "He's going to be fine. I know it."
"Just shut up," Izzy's voice was wavering and her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs. Eva clenched her jaw and walked around to the other side of Alec's bed, drew a chair in, and sat down. Like Izzy, she took his hand and squeezed lightly.
Alec's emotions spoke to her through their touch. He was unconscious, but his mind was functioning. It was bursting with joy at having killed Abbadon, despite being a lie Clary told him before he was knocked out. He was self-aware of his injury and frustrated that he was reckless enough to get wounded like this. There was a tinge of acceptance—an acceptance that this might be the end for him—and the grief of knowing what his loss would do to his parents, to his sister and younger brother, to his parabatai, to Eva, to Hodge.
No, don't you dare, Eva fed her irritation through to him, and to her surprise, Alec's acceptance of death disappeared almost instantly and was replaced with hope. Eva smiled softly.
"He's fighting, Izzy," Eva said. Izzy raised her head to look at her, her brown eyes glossy with tears. "He's not giving up on us."
Eva didn't know how long she was sitting there, watching Alec's wounded chest rise and fall with steady breaths, hearing Izzy's sniffles as she held back tears. Rapid footsteps in the corridor echoed into the infirmary, getting closer and closer before Hodge appeared at the doorway. He looked as if he'd seen something terrifying; he was pale, sweat was beading on his forehead, and his eyes were wide and frenzied.
"Eva, come here." His tone was firm. It was usually the tone he used when he was scolding them. Eva glanced at Izzy, who met her glance with a shrug. The girls jumped when Hodge raised his voice, "Now, Eva!"
The agitation and paranoia buzzing out of Hodge suffocated Eva as she neared him. He was skittish and his muscles were tense under his suit, making the tweed look tight on his slender body. When she was at the doorframe, he took her arm and dragged her outside into the hallway.
"We have to leave right now," he said. His touch was sending shockwaves through her—his terror became hers, and it was making her pulse jump and her heart accelerate. Her hands began to tremble and if it wasn't for him holding her up, her knees would've dropped her to the ground like a sack of bricks. What was he so scared of? Where were Clary and Jace?
"What's going on?" Eva was surprised her words were steady; she was shivering as if the room temperature dropped fifty degrees.
"I'll explain later," Hodge said. He began leading her through the corridors, down the stairs, and to the Institute's front entrance. Eva was speechless when he threw open the door and stepped out into the courtyard. The curse the Clave placed on him following the Uprising would've hurt him, and yet, here they were hurrying down the sidewalk towards the intersection up ahead.
"Hodge!" Eva yanked her arm away from him. Just then, she noticed his hand was covered in what she could only describe as soot. "How did you leave the Institute? What about the curse?"
"It was lifted." He reached for her wrist and once he had a firm grip, he began crossing the intersection. "We have to go into hiding, or else Valentine might—"
"Valentine?" Eva frowned incredulously. "What does he have to do with any of this?"
He abruptly took a turn into a narrow service alley darkened by the incoming of twilight. It was dead-ended by a fast-food restaurant and the heaps of black trash bags piled up against the wall was evident of that. Eva's nose wrinkled at the smell wafting around her.
"You shouldn't have followed me," Hodge said. When Eva turned, she saw none other than Clary standing before them in the alley, her bright red hair sweat plastered on her face and neck, her pale cheeks rivaling it in color from how flushed she was. Her green eyes were sharp and furious.
"You're going to hand Eva over to Valentine too?" she cried. "You traitor! We trusted you!"
"What the hell is going on?" Eva fought against Hodge's grip on her wrist, but it was strong as a bear trap. When she saw the flash of a blade in Hodge's free hand, Eva froze. He showed off his chakram at Clary in hopes of deterring her, but the girl stood her ground.
"He tricked us into finding the Mortal Cup for him!" Clary pointed a finger accusingly. "And then he summoned Valentine and gave it to him and let him take Jace! He said it himself—he's Valentine's man!"
"It's not what it sounds like, Eva," Hodge looked down at her with pleading eyes. "I had to do it so he could lift my curse—"
"Let go of me!" Eva clawed at his hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It couldn't be true! The always reliable Hodge, the man who took it upon himself to be like a father to her, to dote on her, to teach her how to use the chakram he was threatening Clary with, the man that read to her and then tucked her into bed like she was his daughter. It hurt her to claw at his wrist viciously, but when he let her go with a hiss, she didn't expect him to, and she fell back on the pavement. She barely felt it.
"Eva, please!" He took a step forward, reaching for her with his now bloody hand, but Eva scampered away from him in horror. She hated that she felt how much it hurt him to see her look so frightened; it hurt him like a stab in the soul. "I did this for you; I need to protect you—"
"You helped Valentine!" Clary said. "You let him have Jace!"
Hodge flung the chakram at Clary, nearly missing her head as she ducked quickly; the disk embedded itself into a nearby fire escape railing. He turned to Eva, again, his soot-covered hand extending towards her as if he were a gentleman asking her for a dance. "Eva, please. Just come with me, and I'll try to explain everything."
"Get away from me!" Eva reached for an empty beer bottle at her side and hurled it. He ducked and the bottle exploded to pieces against the brick wall behind him. Eva was furious and the gnawing feeling of betrayal was making her nauseous. "You coward! I don't ever want to see you again!"
A low growl erupted from down the alley before a six-foot long jet black wolf jumped in between the girls and Hodge. His lips were drawn back viciously while his pointed ears were folded back into his long head closely. His claws were razor-sharp and his black fur streaked in grey was standing straight up.
"You," Hodge breathed in furious disbelief. "Did you come for me, or for Clary?"
The wolf lunged at Hodge and the two began to wrestle on the pavement. Eva had managed to get on her feet just as Hodge dug his chakram into the wolf's side, blood pooling around them, but the wolf managed to get a blow in and Hodge's blood sprayed into the air like a shaken can of soda.
Eva's adrenaline finally decided to kick in and she dashed for Clary, grabbed her hand and ran out of the alley. Just as they were about to step out onto the sidewalk, Eva was jerked back with Clary's dead weight. She whirled back to see Clary sprawled on the pavement, knocked unconscious from her fall, and the werewolf crouched over her body protectively. His fangs were exposed and he looked ready to pounce on her if she so much as moved an inch towards Clary.
Eva didn't care about Clary, or what the werewolf wanted with her. She didn't care about what happened to Hodge, if he was bleeding out in the alley or if he was dead. She didn't care about Izzy in the Institute or Alec dying, or where Valentine had taken Jace. She didn't care about anything or anyone. She simply turned on her heel and ran down the street, elbowing and shoving anyone that got in her way, faintly hearing the honks of cars as she ran in front of them or climbed over their hoods as they drove by. She ran as far and as fast as she could aimlessly. She didn't know where she was when her lungs began to feel the burn of her exertion. Her muscles screamed at her to stop running and when she finally did, she collapsed against the brick wall of an abandoned factory. The air was hot and only then did she realize night had fallen over New York City.
Eva reached for the hourglass on her throat and pulled the chain hard enough for it to snap off. She threw it hard against the pavement, making the simple glass shatter and disperse the dirt inside. The bubble of frustration and hurt and despair finally burst in her chest and the world seemed to come down on her all at once. She hugged her legs against her chest tightly, buried her face into her knees, and began to cry.
"Eva!" Raphael's voice sung in her ears, but she couldn't stop crying. He pulled her away from her knees and held her face in his cold hands, his eyes wide with confusion as they scanned her for injuries. "What happened? What's wrong?"
She couldn't form words. She threw her arms around him and brought him close to her, relieved to have a familiar comfort but it only made her weep harder. His arms circled around her, returning her embrace tightly. He was whispering soothing words to her, but she paid them no attention. She couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to stop crying. She couldn't believe Hodge did what he did. She couldn't believe she abandoned Clary. She couldn't believe she didn't care for Izzy or for Alec or for Jace at this moment.
She simply didn't care.
