Me: Thank you to Guest Reviewer and Jling for taking the time to review! It made me so happy!
I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Disclaimer: Other than the OC's, I own nothing.
…
Chapter 26: Clary's Revenge
…She was back in Naranth, standing still in the center of the apartment, clutching a tiny bundle in her arms. Her heart pounded as the list of reasons and options ran through her head. 'Celeste will be back any minute. They are coming. I can't let them come here.' She kisses her baby's head, and lays her on the bed.
…They are in the Accords Hall, orders and warnings being yelled at each other. She has her arms around her daughter, holding her close as the crowds go the door to stop the invasion. She kisses her baby's head, and tells her to follow Max.
…Jace and her are walking back to Lightwood Manor, the twinkling stars giving off plenty of light. She was running with her cousins, and she ran after them around the front of the house, out of their sight for a minute, and only out of Alec's and Magnus' for a second. But a second was all it took.
One, goddamn second.
Clary opened her eyes. She forced herself to lay still, listening and taking in her surroundings to make the anxious feeling in her chest go away. Three weeks home, and every night it was the same stream of thoughts, over and over and over again.
It was quiet and dim in the bedroom. The morning light was only just now starting to peek through the curtains. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Clary focused on the little figure next to her, blinking at her curiously. ''Hey, baby.''
Moriah reached a hand to touch Clary's face. Her cold fingers found Clary's lips. Clary took her hand and kissed it. ''What are you doing?''
Moriah gave a low whine, as if to be mindful of Jace, asleep behind her. Clary gently pulled her closer to her, wrapping the blankets and her arms around her little girl's cold body. Moriah grabbed the front of her shirt and tucked her head under her chin.
As she held her, Clary could feel her own heartbeat, still pounding hard. She tried not to think about her dreams; the reminders that every time she left Moriah alone, something bad happened.
I'm a Shadowhunter. I have to leave to hunt sometimes. I can't always be by her side. And yet Clary couldn't imagine leaving again, risking so much again. But I have to. If we are going to do this, I have to.
This thought did not make Clary's anxiety lessen. She held Moriah tighter. She'll be with Alec and Magnus in their apartment. Nothing bad will happen. We won't be long. It will be fine. It will be fine.
Oh, god, why can't everything be fine?
Clary wondered if this was how Jocelyn felt during their fights about her going to the Pandemonium. The act itself wasn't so dangerous, it was about what could happen. What could go wrong.
I don't want to raise Moriah like I was raised…I don't want her to be afraid. I don't want to be afraid.
But I am.
So what? Clary felt anger at herself rise up. She was a warrior, and warriors had to do what they had to do. She didn't want Moriah to be afraid? Then she had to lead by example and not be afraid herself. That's what parenting is.
Clary pushed all further intrusive thoughts out of her mind and focused on the feeling of having Moriah so close, listening to her peaceful breaths as she dozed. Here, in the quiet of the morning, the possibility of something going wrong didn't seem to exist.
It never does…until one goddamn second too late.
…
Jace entered Magnus' apartment building, Moriah on his hip. Clary was waiting for him outside, no doubt running through their reasons for doing this again. He hoped so; otherwise that meant he was the only obsessive one in this relationship.
They got to the last flight of stairs before Jace paused. He sighed at himself, pushing his own reasonings and worries aside. He stood Moriah on her feet up a few steps so he could look her in the eye. ''Alright, listen. Mommy and I are going to hunt, okay? We'll be a while, but you'll be fine here with Alec and Magnus. Understand?''
Moriah cocked her head to the side. She made a low noise in her throat. ''You be good,'' Jace told her, moving some hair out of her face. ''And don't stare at Alec too hard. It makes him jump.''
''Hmmm,'' Moriah whined.
Jace took her hand and made to lead the way to the door. Moriah dug her heels in. ''Hmmm.''
Jace sighed. He crouched in front of her, matching her black stare with his golden one. ''Would I leave you somewhere where something bad might happen?''
Moriah blinked at him. ''The answer is 'yes', because we are Shadowhunters,'' he told her. ''Something bad can always happen. The trick is to plan, to prepare. The safest place for you to be is with Alec and Magnus. Alec is my parabatai. I trust him, so you need to also. Okay?''
Moriah stared. She jerked her head roughly. A nod.
''That's my warrior.'' With no more interruptions, they reached the door. Jace knocked.
The door was flung open by Rafe. ''Moriah!'' He declared with great excitement. ''Let's play!''
He grabbed her hand and dragged her along. Moriah gave Jace a look over her shoulder, as if to say this was not apart of the agreement. He resisted the urge to grin at her reluctance.
''You and Clary set?'' Alec asked, coming over to the door. Jace pried his eyes away from Moriah.
''Yeah.'' He slipped his hands into his pockets, digging his nails into his palms. We'll be back, this is fine, she'll be fine. ''You good here?''
''Of course.''
Jace looked at him. Alec's best trait and his worst fault was his ability to do and be whatever was required of him. Right now, he was required to be an uncle to a demon child. Jace knew despite his demeanor, he wasn't thrilled about it. But he also knew what he told Moriah was true; he trusted Alec. Alec would never, ever let anything happen while they were gone. The best part about having a parabatai was that it was the closest way a person could get to being able to be in two places at once. Having Alec with Moriah was the next best thing to him or Clary being with her. Everything would be fine.
Jace nodded, shrugging the bag he had packed Moriah off his shoulder and onto the floor. ''See you later then.''
With a last look at Moriah, staring blankly at Rafe as he introduced her to all his toys, Jace left, walking down the stairs and back outside to where Clary was waiting for him.
She watched him approach. Her fingers were all knotted together again. ''She good?''
''She's good.'' Clary gave a heavy breath. Jace stood next to her, unclenching his fists and putting his hands behind his back. ''So…you ready?''
Clary's mouth twitched. ''Oh yeah.''
…
Alec wished he could get comfortable on his ledge; maybe sit back and lean against the rocks rather than stand tip-toe on the precipice, constantly in fear of falling off.
The evening was fine. The boys were fine, and Moriah was fine as well. Everything was fine and normal, if a little girl with black eyes and no voice could ever be considered normal. He was actually surprised and honestly, ashamed of himself, when he noticed how well little Max and Rafe were with Moriah. Then again, maybe he shouldn't have been. Rafe especially had became very fond of Moriah ever since that demon attack.
My 5 year old is a better person than me.
Clary and Jace said they expected to be back early morning. Without Alec or Magnus saying anything, Rafe led Moriah to his room and made a fort out of his pillows and blankets so they could sleep together. From the living room, sitting on the couch with little Max, who was falling asleep in his arms, Alec could hear Rafe and Moriah talking. Well, Rafe talking. It was a steady stream of chatter, a one sided conversation. Alec sighed as he adjusted little Max on his lap. ''I hope he doesn't get upset.''
''Why would he?'' Magnus asked as he picked up the toys in the living room. He frowned at the two halves of a once whole stuffed bear he had found. ''Honestly, I think there is no more destructive force in all the worlds than that of two little boys under the age of six.''
Alec inclined his head down the hall. ''She never responds,'' he explained lowly. ''I don't want him to be upset about that.''
Magnus looked down the hall and listened to Rafe's voice for a minute. ''He won't,'' he concluded, flicking his fingers and making the ruined toy whole again. He chuckled to himself. ''It's amazing how children can realize what another person needs.''
Alec was baffled by this response. ''Here, I'll lay him down,'' Magnus offered, taking little Max, not noticing Alec's confusion. Alec watched as Magnus walked away down the hall, giving their half asleep little boy the toy he had just fixed.
Slowly, Alec realized what Magnus had meant. He was saying Moriah needed someone to talk to her and not expect a reply, which meant Rafe was not at all offended. Moriah was listening, and Rafe knew that. He knew that and Magnus knew that.
Why don't I?
…
The only reason Geoffrey was being sent away was for appearances sake. He had been against the child, the child was deemed 'innocent', and now for punishment he was to go do demeaning work that could easily have been done by a student of the Academy. Punishment for what, he wasn't sure. For raising valid concerns? Despicable of him, wasn't it?
He didn't protest aloud too much, mostly because it was- in a small way- a relief to be out of Idris. Out of Idris, away from the Inquisitor's iron gaze.
He knows. Geoffrey didn't doubt that. Robert Lightwood knew about the unsuccessful attempt to be rid of the damned creatures that tainted this world. He might not of had they succeeded in their endeavors, but Geoffrey supposed that's what he got for listening to Downworlders in the first place.
So he took his mission in silence and went on his way, scouting around for the demons the Vampire clan spoke of. Vampires…after this mission, never again would Geoffrey want to be near one.
It didn't take long to collect the data and dispatch the handful of demon nuisances. Geoffrey had never liked field work- he was much more suited to business in Idris- but now that he had seen worse creatures, the demons did not disturb him as much. Certainly nothing like Jonathan Morgenstern and his protégé.
He trudged through the woods, working back the way he had come and studying his Sensor. Everything seemed fine…
Geoffrey stoped and stared at his device. Why was it suddenly picking up activity? A cold wind blew through, one that made Geoffrey freeze. He knew this feeling, this feeling of cold. It was the same one that had blown through Idris, into the Accords Hall after the Inquest. That had been in the Hall during the Inquest, coming from the black eyed gaze of the child who's presence was the reason for the Inquest in the first place.
The Underworld demons were in the woods.
Geoffrey pocketed his sensor and tightened his grip on his blade. His heart was pounding in his chest. Backup? No, there was no time. He couldn't let a thousand of those little things just roam the woods. There was no telling of the destruction they would cause. He would have to fight as many as he could, maybe send a fire message…
A noise from behind Geoffrey made him turn around sharply. His previously pounding heart stopped at the sight that awaited him.
The good news? There were not a thousand of the little demons as he had feared.
The bad news? There was only one, singular demon, one so tall and terrible Geoffrey knew there was no chance for escape.
The creature's yellow eyes beaded down on him, and the same cold feeling that he felt when he had looked at that child in Idris ran through him. It wasn't the color of the eyes so much of the knowledge what laid behind them. Nothingness, emptiness. No heart, no soul, no life. Death walking.
Leaves crunching under boots sounded from behind the creature. Out of the corner of his eye, Geoffrey could see a person approaching at a leisurely pace. ''Hi. Whitesnake, right?''
He knew that voice. The tone he had not previously heard from her. That tone of voice was more her brother's style. Slowly, Geoffrey turned his gaze away from the Underworld Demon and settled it on Clarissa Fairchild. No, Clarissa Morgenstern.
Her hands were clasped behind her back, and her green eyes locked on his face. There was no nervousness from her now, no handwringing. Was there ever? Maybe she was nothing but an act. An act like her father and brother before her. ''What are you doing?'' He asked her.
''Nothing.'' The smugness grated on Geoffrey's nerves. ''I just thought we needed to talk. You know, away from Idris, away from the law.''
''You have reason to fear the law?''
''Not as much as you.'' Clarissa's green eyes glinted. ''Attacking Shadowhunters? Your own people? And the woman who's warning was responsible for saving all of Idris in the first place? How could you be so treacherous?''
Geoffrey scowled. ''You've been speaking to the Inquisitor.''
She gave a slow shake of her head. ''No. But I know you were there, in that clearing. I know what you were planning to do to my daughter.''
''That thing you call 'daughter' is an abomination!'' A growl from the demon creature made Geoffrey jump. Clarissa seemed unbothered. ''You lost your child when the fairies first experimented on you. For that, you have my sympathies. But pretending she still lives in that hollowed out creature does nothing but put off the inevitable.''
''The inevitable what, Geoffrey?'' Clarissa cocked her head to the side. She took a lazy step forward. ''The inevitable what? Fallout? Inevitable fight? Or Moriah's inevitable…death?''
Geoffrey did not like the way she was looking at him. She took another step closer. ''My daughter is mortal, so she will one day die. Maybe before her time, being a Shadowhunter. But the way she will not die, Geoffrey, is by being murdered by my own people. She will not be murdered by you.''
Geoffrey tightened his grip on his blade. His chances of getting out of here were slim. ''And how do you plan on stopping me?'' He taunted.
Clarissa's eyes glinted again. She spoke.
Never would Geoffrey know the exact meaning, nor pronunciation of the words she spoke. It was a language foreign to him, a language foreign to every creature under heaven. Only those who lived directly above and in Hell knew that language.
The Underworld Demon lunged.
Geoffrey fell to the ground. His head hit a tree root, causing his vision to blur. The demon stood over him, a blank face exactly like the child's. It raised it's hand for the next, no doubt fatal, blow.
Clarissa walked over, looking down at him. ''Get on with it,'' Geoffrey hissed.
Silence reigned for a few minutes, the seconds ticking in his ears as death quite literally hovered over him.
''You know what was the worst part of the Cells?'' Clarissa spoke quietly. ''It wasn't the fear of dying; It was the uncertainty of living. Spending each day wondering whether I would ever see the sun again, whether Jace and Moriah would ever see the sun again- Moriah, ever at all. Every time the door opened, I wondered what monster would walk through. Renage and her vials? Aster and his instruments? Death isn't scary. Living with it hanging over you is.''
She got to her knees next to him, and Geoffrey dared not move for the creature still standing by. ''That's what I want for you,'' she whispered hatefully. 'I want you to spend the rest of your life wondering if your fears are going to come true. I want you to wonder what demons are watching you, hating you, longing to kill you. And spoiler? It won't be Moriah.
''Next time you are with those friends of your's that helped in the clearing, and they start talking about Moriah, remember this moment. Remember me and this demon here, hovering over you. And you tell them that the demon to fear isn't my daughter; it's me.''
Blood pounded in Geoffrey's ears. ''And what's to stop me from killing you both?'' He hissed.
The demon answered that question for him.
Pain shot through his body as the demon raked it's claws along his torso. Fire burning and lighting striking simultaneously couldn't have hurt as bad.
''Do you really think you could get away with it?'' Clarissa asked softly. Geoffrey gasped for air. He felt her reach into his belt. She pressed his steele into his hands. ''My body is covered in scars now. Every time I look at myself, I remember all that happened. All that pain, all that fear. Now you will too. Every time you think of coming after Moriah, remember this moment. Remember me. Remember I am sparing you. And know that next time? I won't be so merciful.''
She got up from the ground. Soon, her and her demon vanished, leaving her words turning over in Geoffrey's mind. Do you really think you could get away with it? With the pain racking his body, keeping him from even using the steele, he knew the answer to the question quite clearly. The answer was no.
…
Me: Writing Clary like this was really fun. I love a good Dark!Clary moment. If you have the time, please leave a review and tell me what you think!
Happy Writing!
