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Chapter 18: Demons In Alicante Part #2

Many Shadowhunters were still in the center of Idris, stemming the flow of the demons that had invaded. Jonathan, Jace, Clary, Magnus, Max, and the kids had gone back to the Hall, where they ran into Jia, Alec, and a handful of other Shadowhunters who had been battling close to the Accords building.

Jonathan didn't know what had happened to Jane. She had run ahead of them, but was nowhere to be seen once they reached the others. He assumed she went off in search of her 'pet', but how she could've since it was still daylight out he wasn't sure. Celeste had volunteered to go off in search of her, which Jonathan took her up on.

While many Shadowhunters were getting patched up towards the back of the room by Magnus, Max informed them all about what had happened. When he finished, Simon then came bursting into the hall. ''We know where the portal the demons are getting through is,'' he announced. He briefly explained finding the portal with Isabelle.

''But this Jane creature and her monster aren't here anymore,'' Jia stated, ''and there are still demons in the city. Not as many and not reappearing as fast, but still here.''

''She'll summon more,'' Jonathan said. ''If you two closed one portal, chances are she's retreated to open another.''

''What is her goal?'' Geoffrey Whitesnake asked. ''Is she looking to bring down Idris?''

There was no need for the officials to know Jane's purpose. ''Jane will do whatever she has to,'' Jonathan answered.

''Until she gets what?'' Geoffrey's gaze went to Clary, who was clutching Moriah's hand. ''Is this vampire apart of the Underworld?''

Jonathan glared at him. He suspects. If Geoffrey found out for certain that Jane wanted Moriah, he had no doubt his plan of action would be to hand Moriah over, despite the risk that that action would make the Clave look weak. Two birds with one stone for him.

''It does not matter, Geoffrey,'' Jia snapped at him. ''This creature invaded our home. If she had negotiations in mind she would've opened with that, not sent hoards of demons in.'' She looked back to Simon. ''You found one portal. How did you find it? Can you find another one if she makes one?''

''I think I know where she'll make it,'' Simon said. ''See, we didn't just find a portal. We found the entrance she must've used to get into Idris. A tunnel used by the Underworld.''

''Underworld territory,'' Jace mused.

''Then what are we standing around here for?'' Alec asked. ''Let's go. Cut Jane off before she can get away.''

Simon shook his head. ''Izzy and I were going to, but-'' he faltered. ''The tunnels…they're all twists and turns. There's no telling which way Jane went in there, or how far. Especially considering the likelihood of them going through the fairy realms, one step might take you 100 miles. There's no way without some sort of guidance system.''

''Well, I would love fairy GPS, but since we don't have that I guess we'll just have to try anyway.''

''You don't understand, it's not possible. You'll get lost and never be seen again!''

''She can't go far,'' Clary argued, adjusting Moriah's hand in her's as Moriah fidgeted for her attention.

''Fairy. Realm,'' Simon emphasized. ''1 step. 100 miles. What are you people not getting?''

''Then what should we do?'' Jace demanded.

The arguing continued until Jia called for order. They were discussing more plans, more battle stations, but Jonathan had stopped listening. He watched Moriah, who was rocking on her heels as Clary talked with everyone else. She was tapping her mother's arm. No, not tapping. Tracing. She was tracing her finger up and down Clary's sleeve.

She has perfect memory.

Jonathan stepped through the bickering crowd and picked up Moriah. ''Hey!'' Clary yelped in surprise.

Jonathan ignored her and sat Moriah on the table where the Mortal Sword was perched. He heard Geoffrey Whitesnake yell, but he ignored him too. He looked at Moriah and she looked at him, blinking her black eyes. ''Do that again.''

''What do you want her to do?'' Jace demanded to know.

''What you were doing just now,'' Jonathan spoke to Moriah. ''Do it again. Show me.''

''Hmmm.'' Moriah kicked her feet slightly. She tried to look past Jonathan at Jace.

''No.'' Jonathan snapped his fingers and made her look at him again. ''You want to help them? Show me.''

''Jonathan,'' Clary scolded.

But Moriah looked at him again, her black eyes glinting in her otherwise impassive face. She pointed her index finger and reached up before slowly moving it down, then to her left, then up, then down again. He heard her humming under her breath. Up, down, left, up, down.

Jonathan grinned. He tilted her chin up at him. ''You clever girl.''

''What is it?'' Clary asked.

''A map,'' Jace guessed. He stared at his daughter in wonderment. ''You know the tunnels.''

''She was there, wasn't she?'' Jonathan picked Moriah off the table and put her on her feet. She wasted no time running back to her parents' side. ''She traveled through them for who knows how long. She knows them.''

''But a map to where?'' Clary put her hands on Moriah's shoulders as she came back over. ''How can she know where Jane will go?''

''She doesn't.'' Jonathan looked at Moriah. Her big black eyes blinked at him. ''She knows where the demons will go.''

There was silence for a moment. Little demon girl, knowing where the demons were. ''Where the demons will go, Jane will be there summoning them,'' Jace surmised. He took a breath. ''So if she's right, we can go where the demons are and stop Jane.''

''That was the plan.''

''Now wait a minute,'' Geoffrey Whitesnake intervened. ''That- that thing knows nothing!'' Clary wrapped her arms around Moriah tightly. ''Especially not the way into enemy territory!''

''Geoffrey, be quiet,'' Jia hissed. She looked at them all curiously. ''You cannot be sure that she is correct.''

''You got a better idea, your Consulness?'' Jonathan asked.

''How sure are you that this creature went through the tunnel you found?'' Jia asked Simon.

Simon spread his hands. ''I can't think of another place.''

''Doesn't mean there isn't one.'' She turned to Geoffrey. ''I want you and two more groups scouting the borders. Go wherever Simon and George and Isabelle haven't checked yet.'' Geoffrey bristled as Simon grinned with the realization he would be giving the orders. ''Now.''

At her tone, they exited quickly. ''And us?'' Jonathan prompted.

Jia looked at them wearily. She nodded. ''Go. All four of you.''

''No,'' Jace said, immediately turning to Clary. ''You can't-''

''Yeah, I can.''

''But Moriah-''

''I got her,'' Max volunteered.

For a moment Clary hesitated, looking at her little girl's upturned face. She kissed her quickly before looking at Jace. ''He's got her.''

Jonathan watched Jace give a stiff nod. He bent down to Moriah. ''We'll be back.''

''Hmmm.'' She grabbed his hand when he ran it through her hair.

Moriah obediently went to Max. ''We'll stay by Magnus,'' he promised.

Jonathan, Clary, Jace, and Alec went to the door. ''Far be it from me to agree with Whitesnake,'' Alec said as they went. ''But he had a point. Do we really know what we are doing?''

Jace scoffed. ''Far be it from me to agree with Jonathan-''

''I'm touched,'' Jonathan interjected.

''-But do you have any other plan?''

''We have to try, Alec,'' Clary said.

Alec didn't look convinced but he said no more. They passed Magnus on their way out. ''You're doing what?'' He called after them, turning away from Max, who presumably just informed him of the plan.

''Something unlikely,'' Alec said. ''See you later!''

After Geoffrey was sent off to gather more warriors, Simon led them all off the path to Lightwood Manor to the beginning of a wooded area. Here, amidst rocks and trees, were Isabelle and George, and with them Fern and May. Clary and Jace slowed their walk as they saw them. ''How…?''

''Oh yeah, they are where we got the information,'' Jonathan mentioned.

''You didn't tell them that?'' Isabelle looked at Jonathan, Alec, and Simon in exasperation.

''It is a stressful day, okay!'' defended Simon.

Clary narrowed her eyes at both fairies. Fern was tugging her golden earring, smiling sassily at her. May avoided meeting her gaze. Clary could feel Jace studying them next to her. She could read his thoughts almost as clearly as if she and him were mind linked. Kill them?

Clary was tempted. So very, very tempted. But they had other things to do right now. She exchanged a look with him, and knew he understood.

Jace drew his blade. ''Let's not waste time,'' he chided. ''This cave?''

Isabelle gestured to the opening behind her. ''Through here. But how are you going to navigate it?''

Simon held up a hand. ''I'll explain later. C'mon, we get to boss around Whitesnake.''

''Oh, neat,'' George said.

''Cool,'' Isabelle agreed. She looked at the fairies. ''You two are coming with us.''

''No,'' May argued.

''We don't trust you, therefore we are not fighting alongside you,'' Alec said. ''For all we know, you are working with Jane.''

''We're not!''

''Prove it then and do as she says,'' Clary demanded.

May glared, but did not protest further.

They started off in their prospective groups: Simon, George, Isabelle, and May back the way they came. Jonathan, Alec, Clary, and Jace to the cave. Fern fell in step behind them. ''The hell you think you're going?'' Jace growled at her.

She raised an eyebrow. ''I may not know this entrance, but chances are further in, I can help you navigate in case things go wrong.''

''Yeah, no thanks.''

''You're aiming for finding where she will make another portal, right? Jane lives in these tunnels. She will be able to corner you in an instant. You want no backup plan whatsoever?''

''If it comes from you, yeah, sounds great.''

Fern rolled her eyes. She looked at Clary. ''C'mon, Clarissa. We both know I'm right.''

''Shut up,'' Alec said.

''Stop.'' Clary clenched her fists. ''She's right. We might need her.''

''Clary-'' Jace started.

''It's fine.'' She narrowed her eyes at Fern. ''Swear you won't betray us.''

Fern gave a mocking bow. ''As long as we are in that tunnel, I swear I will not betray you.''

''And on that note,'' Jonathan muttered. They descended into the cave.

The cave quickly separated into many different paths, each one twisting away from the few shafts of sunlight streaming in from the entrance. Jonathan led, and they walked down the paths per Moriah's instructions: Up, down, left, up, down.

Clary walked beside Jace with Fern and Alec in front of them. She clutched her witch light tightly between her fingers. Jane is not getting Moriah. She will not get her.

What was Jane's and Renage's- and other creatures like them- main interest in Moriah? Renage claimed to want a monster, but Jane? Even if her memories of her were fuzzy, Clary didn't remember Jane longing for world domination. Was it just practicality on her part? If Moriah was in the world and dangerous, it would be better to keep her close? Enemies closer kinda deal?

''Keep walking and shut up.''

Clary startled out of her thoughts at Jace's warning to Fern. She realized the fairy had slowed her step to walk alongside her.

Fern ignored Jace. ''I need to say something to you.''

Clary wanted to move away from her. In the ever narrowing space of the tunnels, she was far too close to Fern. Everything about her- her scent, her look- Clary associated with the Cells. And it didn't help that in all probability, these tunnels led to the Cells. ''What?''

''I'm not a regret kinda creature.''

''Fascinating,'' Jace commented. ''Now move.''

''Renage hired me and I did what I needed to do,'' Fern went on. ''I didn't know the particulars of the experiment and even when I gleaned some more info, I kept going. I didn't care about you two or your kid.''

''Well, thank you,'' Clary growled.

''May didn't know the particulars either.'' Fern sighed. ''And unlike me, she cares.''

''But we don't,'' Jace reminded her.

''May is the kind of fairy you Shadowhunters want to believe don't exist. She's good. She's nice.''

''She hurt my family.''

''And she's sorry.'' Fern spread her hands. ''She doesn't expect forgiveness- hell, she'd never even ask. All I am saying is May is one of the good ones. She regrets all that went down. And she's strived to make up for it.''

''How so?'' Clary demanded.

''Why do you think May and I were running from the Underworld? May did something stupid; she hid Moriah.''

Both Clary and Jace stopped in their tracks. ''What?''

''How do you think you found Moriah? Because you're all so clever? May hid her. I think she also slipped you guys some notebook or something. At least, one went missing.'' Fern shook her head. ''May wouldn't tell anyone where she put Moriah, not even me. It was stupid and risky and Renage nearly killed her. I wouldn't have done it. I didn't do it. But like I said, May is one of the good ones.''

Clary felt her heart in her throat. ''May got Moriah away?''

''Yep.'' Fern made to walk on again. ''So while I suppose you are entitled to hate me, maybe settle for just resenting May.''

Slowly they continued on their way, Jace interlocking his finger's with Clary's as they walked. May rescued Moriah. If not for her, they might not have Moriah right now. It was because of her? Because of the fairy who smirked at Clary's horror that they were starving Jace? Who led her into Renage's office that first time?

Who suggested letting me hold Moriah when she was first born to save her.

Clary took a shuddering breath and clutched Jace's hand tighter. They could think about May later. Right now, they had to deal with Jane.

The twisting tunnels went on, getting darker and darker. Clary never thought of herself as claustrophobic, but if the path got any narrower, she was pretty sure she would qualify. Jonathan was still leading them, but came to a stop suddenly, listening. He pointed to their left. ''Down there.''

He started in that direction, Alec and Fern at his heels, and Jace and Clary close by.

The slope was steep with indents acting as stairs. Going down was like walking down a ladder as if it were a staircase. Eventually they reached the bottom, and Jace offered her hand for the last two steps. She accepted and jumped down, only to see that there was yet another corridor.

''They're close,'' Jonathan said, drawing his blade. They all followed suit. ''The demons.''

The corridor went straight ahead, but as they walked on it the dirt underneath them became more packed, like a proper floor. The walls beginning widening out and soon they were no longer in a cave, but a room.

A room for experiments, Clary thought bitterly, looking around at the tables against the walls with notebooks and vials. A room where my baby was kept.

There was no time to dwell, however. At the far left corner of the room was a portal. A swirling purple vortex, and inside it…demons. Demons that had swarmed Idris. They were waiting on the other side of the portal, like Alice tapping on the looking glass before stepping inside it. They blinked at them all in the doorway, looking at them curiously and unbothered. Clary had never seen a demon be so patient and yet give off such clear aura of 'I'm gonna kill you'.

Alec caught his breath. ''That is not right.''

''You think?'' Fern asked. ''Creatures in the Underworld- we like to go all out in many different ventures.''

''What kind of venture was this?'' Jace scowled.

''The 'let's tame demons' one. I dunno. Seemed too far fetched to me.'' She looked thoughtful. ''Though now I wonder if maybe I should've joined that one instead.''

''Really reassuring, having you on our side.''

''Can we…'' Clary gestured to the portal. ''Turn it off?''

''It's not a light switch,'' Fern said.

Jonathan started towards it. ''We'll figure it out.''

Fern gave a dry laugh. '' 'On this episode of 'Demon Whisper' '.''

''You're helping.''

She shrugged and followed him.

Another laugh ran out, this one not from Fern. ''Good luck with that.''

They all turned sharply as Jane appeared behind them. In an instant she was in front of them, by the far wall of the room. She smiled widely. ''That little thing there,'' she said briskly, gesturing to the portal, ''was invented by Aster, Clary. I thought you might be interested to know that.''

''You learn something new everyday.'' Clary gripped her sword tight. ''It'll be more fun to break it, considering it was his.''

Jane's smile didn't waver. ''Shame,'' she went on, looking at them all. ''Shame you had to come here and ruin this. I really don't want to hurt you. As I told you both earlier, I just want Moriah. She'll be better off with me, away from people, rather than stuck in a situation where she will never belong.'' She cocked her head at Jonathan. ''I would think you'd understand. Why would you want your niece to have the same life you had?''

''Hardly the same,'' Jonathan replied. ''Now, if you'll excuse us, we do have to get back.''

Jane sighed, and yet she still looked pleased. ''Okay. If you all insist.'' Her smiled changed to a grimace, and her fangs grew longer. ''Shame,'' she chided again, turning to Jace and Clary, ''that you will die here, far away from your daughter.''

The ant analogy fit the demons a little too well. The portal opened and the demons swarmed out, hoards and hoards of them. Alec and Jonathan and Fern ran to the tunnel, trying to at the very least keep as many demons as they could from getting out and into Idris. They succeeded somewhat, but since there were so many demons, some slipped by them.

Alec slashed his blades in a wide arc, wishing he wasn't in such a tight space so he could use his bow. He risked a glance to the back of the room, only to have to turn his attention back again. The demons blocked Jane and Clary and Jace from view. The demons' screeching calls made it impossible to hear anything.

The cold in the room was intense. The creatures yellow eyes seemed to burrow into Alec as each one lunged at him. This wasn't working. There was no way they could fight these off like this. ''There had to be a way to stop them!''

''They're still coming through the portal!'' Alec looked to where Jonathan pointed, and saw with a sinking heart he was correct. ''We have to shut it off!"'

''Not a light switch!'' Fern chided.

''Can you do it?'' Alec asked.

''You got this here?'' Jonathan asked.

Alec tossed another demon off of him. He shrugged. ''Be quick.''

Both Jonathan and the fairy raced off. Alec had only a moment to think, pondering the best way to give them the opportunity to kill the portal and yet not get overrun by demons. If he could lead them out of the room and up the tunnel…but no, they might escape to Idris.

Or another tunnel?

He struck out at another demon. ''C'mon!'' He yelled as they began swarming past him. He chased them out, out of the room and back into the tunnels.

Stab and slash. Let them run a little ways before knocking them back again. Some managed to slip by, on their way to Idris. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up.

Hurry up, Jonathan.

Many Shadowhunters were in or by the Accords Hall, getting patched up with healing runes and spells. Max was keeping his promise to his siblings, keeping the kids close and sticking by Magnus, even as Magnus went from warrior to warrior.

All the kids followed him obediently, but Moriah kept whining. And fidgeting. And then suddenly, she went very still, staring off into the distance, just as she had before. Max realized it was a warning.

'''More are coming!"' He started shouting. People gave him strange looks, demanding proof, but they shouldn't have. In less than five minutes after noticing Moriah, the ground began to shake.

''What in the Angel's name,'' Max could hear Shadowhunters exclaim as the dark black cloud came closer and closer. Only it wasn't a cloud.

It was demons.

The groups gave up on the border control when they saw the demons.

''We have to head back!" Geoffrey announced. ''We need to defend the city.''

''We need to find the source,'' Isabelle argued. She turned to Simon and George. ''We need to go back to the cave.''

''You know where the source is?'' One Shadowhunter asked in confusion. ''Then what are we doing here?''

''No, they don't know,'' Geoffrey growled. ''They think they know because of that thing.''

''Call Moriah 'thing' one more time and I swear to God-'' Simon growled.

''Whoah, Si,'' George put a hand on his shoulder. ''Later. Who's that?''

Isabelle followed George's gaze. A blur of a black cloak and dirty blonde hair ran toward them.

''Mad girl?'' May asked incredulously.

In a moment Celeste was upon them. ''Greetings,'' she blinked at them. ''If you don't mind, I think you need to proceed to the tunnels?''

''You know how to navigate the tunnels?'' Isabelle asked.

Celeste shrugged. ''I'm willing to give it a go.''

''Trusting her is no better than trusting a child!'' Geoffrey yelled.

Celeste looked at herself. ''I always thought of myself as average height. Am I wrong in that assumption?''

''Go to the city, Whitesnake,'' Isabelle said. ''We are going to help my family.''

They started off, following Celeste. ''Where do you think you're going?'' They heard Geoffrey yell. Isabelle turned in surprise to realize there were other Shadowhunters following them.

The one who had spoken earlier shrugged at Geoffrey. ''The only way to stop the demons is to go to the source. That will help the city.''

And on that note, the group of them all followed Celeste back to the cave.

Jace alternated between stabbing at a demon and taking a lunge at Jane. She was doing the same, alternating between him and Clary. She chuckled. ''This is taking too long. Surely you are done with prolonging?''

She was right in saying this was taking too long. Alec had disappeared down the tunnel, presumably to fight with more room. Jace couldn't even see Jonathan and Fern anymore. He exchanged a look with Clary and knew she too was running out of strength. There were too many demons. Even if they got into Idris, Jace doubted whether all the Shadowhunters could fight them off. He didn't know what to do.

Jane suddenly looked to the side. ''Oh, nice try.''

Jace followed her gaze and saw through the thick black of demons, Jonathan and Fern, fighting their way to the portal.

''I guess it's time to hurry things along.'' Jane clapped her hands together. ''Come along now, my pet! Come meet my guests!''

If it had been cold in the room before, it was now downright freezing. For a moment, Jace saw nothing. And then he noticed a shape, slithering along on the floor behind Jane. It rose up, like a fountain of water, until it took on a form that appeared solid.

Even with the domed ceiling of the room, the creature had to slouch it's head to stand upright. It's wings went from one wall to the next, and it fixed it's cold yellow eyes on Jace, just as it had that night they had rescued Celeste.

Jane gave another laugh. ''Time to play, my pet!''

The small demons' cries were nothing compared to the screech of the large demon. Jace had to avert his attention away from it when he realized Jane was darting toward him.

She was upon him in an instant, a blade held parallel to her forearm in her grasp. They collided, his blade against her's. ''You do realize,'' she purred over the complete chaos of the room, ''that with the experiments and angel blood and demon blood- there is very little of your blood in the child?''

Jace pushed her off of him and swiped at her again. She parried his blow. ''In fact,'' she continued without hindrance. ''It would really not be at all inaccurate to say she isn't your daughter anymore.''

''Burn in hell,'' he spat at her.

''Not today, dear.''

They continued to fight, Jace desperately trying to get the upper hand on her. He thought he got it, when he realized with stark clarity he couldn't hear Jane's 'pet' anymore. ''Clary!''

He turned and could see her, swarmed by both the small demons and the large one, which was lumbering it's way over to her. It raise it's hand. ''Clary!''

''Where are they coming from?'' Max asked from the overhang of the Accords front steps.

''A cave off the paths,'' Jocelyn answered, urging other people on. ''Simon and Isabelle are leading people there to help cut them off. Now go.''

Max began darting inside, clutching his nephews' hands. He froze in his steps. ''What?''Jocelyn demanded.

Max spun in a circle. ''Where's Moriah?''

Jocelyn felt something cold wrap around her heart. ''Go inside.''

''But-''

''Go!'' Max hurried on.

Jocelyn ran down the steps, the sounds of the demons ringing in her ears. Did one grab her and slip away? ''Moriah!''

''Jocelyn!'' Luke yelled.

Jocelyn wasted no time darting around the building in the direction of her husband's voice. Relief mixed in with horror as she saw Moriah behind him and demons in front of him.

She ran to his aid, fighting alongside as the demons kept coming at them. ''Get out of here, I got them,'' Luke told her.

''I'm not leaving you.''

''Get her out of here! Go!''

With no time to protest, Jocelyn picked up Moriah and started running back the way she came. A cry from behind her caused her to turn around again. ''Luke!''

He was being overtaken, half changed into a wolf and fighting while the demons swarmed him. Jocelyn stood Moriah on her feet. ''Go in the Hall! Go!''

She didn't have time to look at Moriah's wide gaze, staring at her unblinking. She ran back to Luke, her blades out. As she collided with the demons, fought with Luke back to back, a horrible feeling settled over her. There are too many. We can't do this.

''Moriah!'' Luke yelled.

Moriah was still standing where Jocelyn had left her, watching them, like a ghost from a fairy tale. ''Go!'' Luke told her. ''Moriah, go!''

But Moriah didn't move. Her gaze simply went from Jocelyn and Luke to the demons. Her mouth moved. Jocelyn was too far away to hear, but the cold feeling inside of her let her know that even if she had heard, she wouldn't have understood. Humans weren't meant to speak that language. The language of demons.

The demons all froze. Some stared at Moriah. Some began to flee. Jocelyn and Luke fought the remaining ones quickly, each one suddenly slower, dumber. Submissive. As if they had been told to stop, to freeze.

Told to succumb.

''I think they are backtracking.''

''Don't care,'' Jonathan snapped at Fern. He was too focused on the portal to try and figure out what the demons were doing.

What was this contraption that Aster had rigged up exactly? Made a portal permanently lodged in a demon realm? What realm? These demons weren't right. None of this was right, even for creatures that were forged to be everything but right.

Jonathan closed his eyes. It didn't matter. What mattered was closing it, making it stop.

He could hear Fern fight off more demons. ''You have got to hurry up.''

Jonathan ignored her. The crowds of demons were thicker, and their screeches were growing ever louder. Jonathan took a deep breath, breathing in the chaos. Chaos was what demons fed on. Chaos was their language.

He opened his eyes and focused on the portal.

Claustrophobic wasn't the right word for what Clary felt. She felt trapped, yes, suffocated, yes, but there was something else stirring in her. This fear, this worry…this anger.

The demons were swarming around her, but she couldn't fight them off anymore. No one could. Jonathan and Fern and Alec were somewhere in the room, and she could only hope they were okay. Jace and Jane were fighting, but she couldn't see who was winning. Were either of them? Was Jane even trying, or just waiting for her demons to do the work for her?

The large demon, the pet, came toward her. It's cold eyes fixed on her and she understood. This was it. This was the end. It was over.

They ran up another flight of stairs, the sound of that creature's cry still ringing in their ears. ''I'm going with some puppet that was cut out of Fraggle Rock for being too ugly for kids,'' Simon guessed between breaths.

When Clary opened her eyes again, the hallway was dark. She thought it was because she was blocking the light from the window- and it was- but not her blocking the light. It was the thing behind her.

''…It has to do with characteristics, with feeling. When I saw that creature, felt it's yellow gaze on me, I knew I was looking at a beast from Hell itself.''

Clary's breath caught as the creature stared at her. It raised it's hand, and even as Jace screamed her name she didn't move. She couldn't move. For suddenly, she did understand.

It's you.

You're the one. It's your blood Renage took. It's your blood that runs through Moriah's veins.

It your blood that runs though me.

The anger in Clary stirred again, but it wasn't just anger. It was fury. It was horror. It was hatred.

Pure Hatred.

I have come too far to lose now. I will not lose now. I will not lose everything.

There was that box inside of her again. She could feel it creeping open, that moment of letting the monster out, just as she had done to Aster in life and in her dreams. So now she would do it again.

She would be the monster.

Later, Jane would appreciate the beauty of the moment. Watching that Morgenstern girl accept the role she was born to play, the one that Wayland boy had orchestrated so carefully. Clary was beautiful, horribly so, as she looked the golden eyed demon in the eye with her own pricing stare. Maybe it was the light, but Jane thought for a moment Clary's own eyes had flashed black.

Clary had spoken. Indecipherable words to human ears, but perfect in Demonic language. Jane's former pet turned on her and demolished the lesser demons in a matter of seconds. Jonathan finished sealing the portal, and that was that. The curtain was closed on this act of the play.

Jane didn't like to dwell on it, but in that moment she had felt fear. She had known from their first meeting so long ago, as every creature in the Underworld did, that messing with Valentine's children was akin to playing with fire. Jane got away, but she knew she got away burnt.

She fled through the tunnels, unable to stop smiling despite the fear and pain. Maybe she was burnt, but she was burnt like a small child who's parents let them hold coal so they knew to stay away from the hearth. She had learned a lesson. And now, she would find a way to apply it.

Me: I hope you enjoyed! If you have time, please leave a review!

Happy Writing!