Jace's fingers were delicate in pressing against the slightly swollen bridge of her nose. Even though they were gentle, his ministrations were sending small bursts of pain throughout her face.

His stele was in his other hand, swirling an iratze on the inner crook of her arm.

The silver bracelet that Sebastian had been wearing was secured around Jace's right wrist. Eliza decided against inquiring as to why he was wearing it.

"He broke your nose." Jace murmured.

"Yeah."

The Clave members, after having checked the house, deposited Jace, Clary, and Eliza at the Gard. They'd been left in a cozy, but official meeting room. The fireplace had softly burning fire going. The leather couch was comfortable enough that Eliza had taken permanent residence on the far-left cushion. Clary was all the way to the right. Jace had pulled the coffee table up to the edge of the couch to administer them both with healing runes.

Eliza insisted Clary go first. She'd put up with Jace's fleeting glances as he had set her sister up with an iratze and they had both watched the bruises fade away.

They were waiting for Luke and Jocelyn to return from their dinner. Consul Penhallow said they would receive the message when they left the dinner.

"You want to change clothes?" He whispered.

Most of the Clave members sent had dispersed after inspecting the house for Sebastian. A few members had stayed behind to escort the three back to the Gard. They had allowed for Clary and Eliza to pack bags. She wasn't sure what all Clary had packed, but her own bag consisted of a change of clothes and a clothed pack of throwing knives. Jace had secured her sword for her. Eosphoros was lying on one of the long meeting tables.

Changing into a fresh set of clothes, though, was the absolute last thing on her mind.

"Yeah."

Jace stood and held out his hands. She didn't bother; she stood on her own. Clary had moved to stand in front of the fire, palms outstretched towards the flames.

"Clary," her head whipped back, and their eyes met, "I'm going to go change. You're okay?"

The younger girl nodded silently before turning back to the fire. Eliza had made it as far as the door, hand on knob, when Clary spoke again. "He's scared of Jace." She said quietly. "Did you notice?"

She let her fingers unfurl from around the knob but refused to look back. "No."

"It's the heavenly fire, not me." Jace amended the statement. "He's only afraid to hurt me. It could hurt him."

"It won't stop him." Eliza sighed. At that, she spun around to face them. Clary's back was to her. Jace stiff on the couch, hands gripped to his knees and gaze locked on the floor. "Hail, Master. A Judas kiss. He'll destroy you. And I know exactly how he's going to do it."

Clary turned back in that moment. "How?" She asked Eliza. "Is he going to kill Jace?"

"No." She said sharply. She leaned against the door. "In his sick and twisted way, Sebastian cares about Jace. He wants Jace beside him, so he can't kill him."

"But you said-."

"Destroying Jace means taking away the thing he loves most. Ripping his heart out of his chest."

"I-." Clary's sentence was cut off by Jace's words.

"He's going to kill Eliza."

Her gaze met Jace's. The gold of his eyes was dark, almost unreadable to someone who didn't know him so well. Underneath the half-tempered rage was molten fire. His knuckles were white, fingers curled around his kneecaps.

"He'll kill two birds with one swing of the sword." She confirmed. "He finally gets to do what he's always wanted: kill me. And he'll ruin you. To him, it's perfect."

Clary let out a weak noise. Almost as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'll be out of the way and he'll have you both. Like he's always wanted."

"No." Clary shook her head. "If he thinks killing you is going to send us both into some kind of catatonic state, he's way wrong. If he so much as pulls a hair from your head, we'd be even more pressed to stop him."

Eliza looked away. Her eyes landed on the fire. Flames so similar to those burning were licking through Jace's veins. Had the heavenly fire turned his blood to ash? Or made it boil so uncontrollably that it threw his entire being off balance? "You think he hasn't thought it through, Clary? He's going to wait it out, make it the most memorable event of his life. It won't be until he has you both right where he wants you. You heard him. He's going to draw it out. Torture me until I beg for death. And after he kills me, he'll Turn you."

"Stop." Jace ordered. He got up from the couch, leather squelching under the gear. A hand carded through his hair. "I don't-I can't listen to that."

"Jace-."

"How do you think I feel, Liz? I saw him, he was going to kill you. What if…What if I hadn't gotten there when I did? Or hadn't found the guard? That's twice in a handful of days that he's nearly killed you. And you just…you act like it's not a big deal. Like your life doesn't matter. When you-when you know that it's the only thing that matters to me."

How he could sound so broken when the flames of wrath still lit his eyes, she would never know. His hands were curled into fists at his sides, knuckles white and fingers red with pressure.

"I'm terrified of him. He scares the hell out of me because at any moment, whenever he wants, he can take you from me. But you don't even care, do you? You keep talking about going after him and taking him on alone. You know what could happen and you don't care. Lizzie, you're handing your life over on a silver platter. Might as well just walk right into his sword and save him the effort."

"Jace, please, can you-?"

"Tell me I'm wrong, Liz. Look me in the eye and tell me that you weren't about to just walk out of here and track him down."

His voice didn't have to be raised to shock her still. His tone was calm, nowhere close to docile, but not at all hostile. In all honestly, Eliza hadn't been sure where she was going on her way to exiting the room they'd been left in. Definitely not to change her clothes, though. There had been no clear destination in mind. Just like the other day. She hadn't known where she wanted to go until she wound up at cottage.

Sebastian had a funny way of calling out to her subconscious. And she had a bad habit of responding.

Jace was scared. Very rarely, hardly ever, did he let his fears through. Almost never did they show. He was a professional when it came to repressing any sort of weakness. His admittance was too much. Because maybe, deep down, she had known he was scared. For himself and her, for their world. He had never liked her plan of tracking down Sebastian and taking him on, but to know that it sparked fear…

"The Clave will try to strengthen the wards now that they know he can get inside." He didn't give her the chance to defend herself. "At most, it'll piss in his Cheerios. Why would he risk so much just to see you, Clary?"

Eliza saw it. The stiffening of her shoulders. The frazzled light that passed through the green of her eyes whenever she tried to lie on the spot. The way her neck blotched, and her cheeks paled.

"He's trying to convince me to join him." Clary mumbled.

"He wants you." Eliza snapped. Clary's eyes fell to her feet. "I'm right, aren't I?" She asked. "Has he…" she really didn't want to speak the next words into existence, "has he tried before?"

Clary's eyes lifted and she knew all she needed to know. "I didn't want to tell you. I didn't know how and I knew-."

"That filthy little-." Heat sizzled. "When? When did it happen? The last time we were in Alicante?"

Clary shook her head. The sigh she let out was shaky, uneven. Nerve-wracked. As the words left Clary's mouth, ice cold, white-hot rage drowned out everything. November, after Eliza had reclaimed her senses and the bond with Sebastian had been severed. Jace had gone early to set up for the ritual at the Burren, leaving Clary alone with Sebastian. Clary and Eliza had been communicating with the faerie rings when Sebastian found her. Destroyed Clary's ring. Hit her. Shoved her. They fought, she almost killed him before she realized it meant killing Jace too. The crescents of Eliza's fingernails dug into the palms of her hands. Sebastian had insisted that brothers and sisters had used to marry one another to purify the family blood. Clary was his and he was hers. Touching her and jerking on her clothes.

"He raped you." The word felt slimy on her tongue. "I swear to God-."

"No," Clary was hasty, "he stopped. He didn't…he didn't rape me."

Eliza's hand flew out, fist shooting through the wooden door. She jerked her hand back through the hole. Splinters of wood stuck to knuckles, held on by specks of blood.

Clary was shaking, entire body wracked over with vehement shivers. Eliza crossed the room, shaking her hand off. Jace stood, silent and still, as Eliza enveloped her sister. "I'm going to kill him." Eliza whispered into her ear. "He's going to die a thousand deaths for what he did-what he's done to you."

"He didn't-."

"He assaulted you, Clary." She pulled back, hands firm on the younger girl's shoulders. "There is no grey area. You were assaulted and none of it was your fault. Do you understand?"

Slowly, Clary nodded. Eliza walked her over and sat her on the couch. Eliza crouched down to be at eye level, grabbing onto her hands. "Liz, I really don't want to talk about it anymore."

Eliza sat back on her haunches and released her hands. "Okay. Okay." She said slowly. Clary asked if she could go change her clothes and freshen up. "Yeah, of course. We'll be here when you get back."

She sat back on the floor. The room was enveloped in silence as Clary grabbed her bag from one of the tables and left.

"Liz…?"

She looked up from the floor. "It's not her fault." She said quietly. "It's mine."

"It is not-."

She pushed up from the floor. "I left her there with him. It was my job to keep her safe and I left her behind. If I'd only stayed…"

Without any warning, his arms were around her. His hand pressed against the back of her head. "It's not your fault. It isn't Clary's fault. It's his. He did this. No one else. Okay?"

"I meant what I said." She pulled away from him. The heavenly fire made his skin hot, almost unbearably so at times. "He's going to pay for what he did to her, Jace. The next time he's in front of me will be the last time he breathes."

Until he grabbed onto her hands, she hadn't realized they were shaking. He steadied her, his thumbs caressing over the back of her hands.

"Wait." Jace breathed. "Until we're ready, stronger. Wait until there's a plan, one that's foolproof and where absolutely nothing can go against our favor. And then we'll go after him. You and I, anyone else who wants to. Can you do that?"

Maybe he didn't realize it, or maybe he did, but he was asking a lot from her. Asking her to wait, to put off the task she was made to do. A task that, with each fleeting second, grew more and more imperative.

"You're asking-."

"I know what I'm asking, Liz. I do." Without warning, he tenderly dragged her to the leather sofa and sat her down. He placed himself next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. His other hand pushed a piece of still damp hair from her forehead. "But I also know that I'm not ready to lose you. Sebastian has taken so much from us, so many people. I won't let him take you."

Unease was still wrought in his eyes, the way he tried to steady the shaking of the hand that caressed her hair. Jace was always the one to put on a brave face, a stellar show, in front of everyone. After all, it was what he was trained to do. Any emotion was weakness. Fear the worst of them all. Right there with love. They went hand in hand most of the time. You feared for the ones you loved. It had been the primary motivator for so many of her own lies.

"I won't let him take you either." She promised.

His smile was tense, the half-jerk of the corner of his mouth. "Thank the Angel."

That saying that people used to make light of a bad situation, which in turn, would often make the situation worse. It was as if someone had spoken it over Eliza's night. Dusted the words clear over her person in an effort to make her head explode.

It can't get any worse than this, can it?

Consul Penhallow had come for them in the meeting room. Her face grim and stance stiff. Clary and Jace had both been fast asleep on the sofa when the Consul arrived. Eliza, however, had been seated directly in front of the fire, dark eyes trained on the flickering flames. One word, a single name chanted over and over inside her thoughts.

Sebastian. Sebastian. Sebastian.

Consul Penhallow was without Jocelyn and Luke. A sight that had immediately set shivers down Eliza's spine. It had been hours- at least- since their rescue. Her mother and soon to be stepfather would have wasted no time in hurrying to them.

And then, Jia Penhallow spoke the answer to Clary's urgent question. Jocelyn and Luke had not yet replied to the message that the Council sent regarding Sebastian's latest visit. The response sent Clary into the hall, Heosphoros tight in her grip.

Jia followed Clary into the hall.

"Jace, you don't think-."

"No. Don't go there, Liz." He said quickly. "It's better not to."

She swiped Eosphoros from the table. "How can I not? It isn't a coincidence that the same night Clary and I are attacked by Sebastian, my mom and Luke go missing. He despises them as much as anyone else."

He followed her out into the hall. Consul Penhallow and Clary were waiting for them, Simon standing next to Clary, their hands intertwined. The vampire looked worse for wear, perhaps worse than the rest of them.

"Consul Penhallow's agreed to let Simon be the vampire representative for the Council meeting." Clary filled them in.

Eliza raised her eyebrows as Jia began to walk briskly down the hall. The walls were new, freshly cut wood of pale coloring. Every few steps, brightly shining runes decorated the walls. The only parts of the Gard that could look so well were those that had been ruined during the Mortal War and had been rebuilt after.

"Where is Raphael?" Eliza started after the Consul. Her sword swung haphazardly in her hand. She knew better than to rush with a weapon in her grasp. But Raphael had been invited to the same dinner as her mother and Luke. And Magnus.

Magnus had been at the dinner as well.

"None of the Downworld representatives have responded to our messages." Jia replied, not looking back at her.

Eliza followed her down the curve of the hall. Further ahead, the lulled chatter of the meeting could be heard.

"What?" Clary echoed. "What do you mean?"

Consul Penhallow paused upon reaching the antechamber. Light poured through stained glass windows. Rays of blue and green splattered the stone floor. A large set of double doors stood behind the Consul. The Angel Raziel with his instruments emblazoned on each.

"They can't still be at Meliorn's." Eliza assured tersely. "You've checked, I'm sure?"

Jia nodded solemnly. "Meliorn's house was empty upon our arrival."

Her heart seized in her chest. It was a mess. An entire mess. Most certainly Jace's idea of a situation.

"Magnus…?" Eliza whispered. "You haven't heard from him?"

Quietly, Jia said no.

With the feeling of Jace's hand on her shoulder, she closed her eyes. Her arms hung limp at her sides, trusted sword barely felt in her hand.

Magnus…? It's me, obviously. Who else has this kind of line of communication with you? Well, I hope no one. It is our special thing, isn't it? Please answer me. Please tell me you're safe. That you're with my mom and Luke- God, even Raphael, I suppose- and you all just got lost having a great time together. Please.

Her plea was met with a foreign, bitter silence. A blank void that held no response.

Her eyes flashed open. "He didn't- he's not- it's like it isn't going through. I can't even feel him there."

Jace squeezed her shoulder. He asked Jia if they found anything telling at Meliorn's. Blood, any sign of a struggle on any part.

"It was like they simply vanished. The food was on the table still." At that, Jia pushed open the doors of the antechamber.

The wave of the Council meeting fell over them. The dull chatter from earlier suddenly became uproars of shouting. The room was chock full of angered Nephilim. Eliza shrugged Jace away from her and stepped into the room. Her eyes scanned, half hoping to see their lost people found among the crowd. But the only familiar faces she found were those of the Lightwoods, Aline Penhallow, and the Blackthorn children.

In the center of the amphitheater sat the four chairs delegated to the four Downworld representatives. Had it been a normal Council meeting, the chairs would have been filled by Luke, Meliorn, Raphael, and Magnus- replacing Caterina. But they were empty. Empty and vandalized.

A wet golden substance smeared the floorboards in front of the chairs. She pushed through the people, drawing closer to the scene. Her gut wrenched at the word painted out for all to see.

Veni.

Painted out in the blood of an angel. Golden ichor from a heavenly being.

He was striking down angels left and right to send his taunts.

Someone jerked her back.

He had warned them he would come. Erochmai, he sent with angel's wings. And now, Veni. I have come.

A few Silent Brothers were gathered near the dais. Figures she noticed only after tearing her eyes away from Sebastian's taunt. Someone called out Clary's name. Then Jace's, and then her own. Her eyes fleeted back to the blood of an angel before she was pulled away.

Jace was careening her around, Clary and Simon pushing forward in front of them. And then Alec and Isabelle were before them. Isabelle's arms immediately went around Clary and then she was vigorously hugging Jace and Eliza.

Eliza stayed stiff throughout the encounter. She watched Alec hug his parabatai and give her a wary glance. He knew, better even than Jace, when to leave well enough alone.

"I can't believe he was at your house last night. Did he say anything to you about any of this?" Isabelle asked hurriedly.

Eliza swallowed. "Before or after he tried to kill me and then shoved a sword through his chest?" Isabelle blinked slowly, lips working to try to find words. "No. He said nothing."

"This shouldn't have been possible." Alec said quickly. "All of the houses of the representatives were safe guarded with wards. They should have been safe at that dinner." Alec's left hand tremored with each word. "Magnus wasn't- he wasn't supposed to be here." His eyes flickered to Eliza. "Did you try contacting him through your link? Have you heard-?"

"It isn't working." She told him. "Wherever they are, wherever Sebastian is holding them, I can't even get through with that."

Jace sighed. "We don't know for sure that he's the reason they're missing."

She jerked back from him. "It's not a coincidence that he paid us a visit last night and then they all went missing. He left it here for us, loud and clear, Jace. He has come. He comes and he goes at his own leisure and we can do nothing but sit and wait like damn ducks! That is the position he's put us in. We're here at his beck and call, waiting for him to strike again."

Before anyone could say anything, the bell rang out. The meeting was called to order.

Consul Penhallow stood at the lectern, flanked by guards. "Silence, please."

The roar of the crowd stifled at her order. Though, no one looked happy to not be giving their piece.

"What calls for this desecration?" Someone shouted out. Jia said the reasoning was uncertain.

"We're being punished for our victories in London and at the Citadel!" Another cried out.

Jia became pensive. "Victories? Those were nothing close to a victory on our part. Our Institute in London was protected by something none of us can understand, something that cannot be remade. Our forces in London were made aware of the threat in time and made it out mostly unscathed. And as for the Citadel…" Her voice trailed off into quietness. "It should be called a stalemate. No one won and no one lost. We had a force of sixty and we lost thirty, with ten injured. Sebastian Morgenstern had forty and lost fifteen. Had the incident of Jace Lightwood not occurred, we would have been massacred."

Eliza grabbed Jace's hand. He glanced down at her and she gave a gentle squeeze.

"Shadowhunters defend until our last breath is made, our lost drop of blood spilled. It is our way."

Robert Lightwood stepped forward. By his estimation and own humble opinion- of which Eliza thought absurd- more Shadowhunters should have been sent through to the Citadel battle. The guess of the Council was that Sebastian commanded a force of four hundred Endarkened soldiers. By their calculations, his force against all Shadowhunters would result in a Nephilim victory.

Eliza leaned her mouth close to Jace's ear. "Your father does realize that the Endarkened are not made like normal Shadowhunters, right? They're like us. Numbers don't matter here."

Jace nodded with no verbal response.

"Still," Jia continued, "our efforts to find Sebastian and his army are in vain. He has made himself untraceable. His only hope is to continue to lure us out in small numbers. Which, we have decided, will not work. All Shadowhunters will remain in the city, safe from his confrontation. As long as we are here, we cannot lose."

"He'll wait for us to go!"

As if he had the patience for such.

"When he grows tired of waiting, and he will, he will attack. And he will lose." Jia assured.

Someone else inquired about their mission from the Angel to protect the world from demons. If they were all locked in Idris, who would be protecting the mundane world? Inquisitor Lightwood said that Wrangel Island was doubling down to strengthen the wards sevenfold. The Downworlders would be the extra assurance they needed against the demons.

"Right. We sure can trust that. Especially since the representatives for the Downworld are missing."

Jace tightened his hold on her hand. On her other side, Alec stiffened.

An argument broke out. Were they okay? Alive at all? Perhaps it was a trick. Maybe it was only a play for the Downworlders, not the Shadowhunters. But they were Council members, and by law, protected.

Alec's face was red. Drawn together in careful rage. "They aren't all right!" He yelled out. "They're missing!"

Jace startled, like so many others, at Alec's outburst. To too many, he was quiet and reserved. To too many, his anger did not exist.

"Have you even tried to track them?" He diverted his attention to Jia Penhallow.

"Yes. To no avail. Warlocks cannot be tracked, and neither can the dead-." The rest of her sentence, whatever it would have been, was cut off by the fact that the guard on her left fisted the back of her robes and yanked her back. He held her against his chest, a long blade pressed to her throat.

"Shadowhunters! Nephilim!" As he shouted out, the hood of his own robe fell back. His face was littered with the dark Marks of the Endarkened. Blood blossomed from Jia's throat.

From somewhere, Aline Penhallow screamed.

"Mattias Gonzales. The head of the Institute in Buenos Aires." Alec whispered.

"Quiet!" The man shouted again. "All of you!"

The room stilled. Most of the Shadowhunters were trained. There was an imminent threat and their hands were raised for their weapons, ready to draw at any second. Isabelle had hold of her whip. Clary's hand rested on the hilt of her sheathed sword.

Eosphoros was out. Available. Ready. And so was she.

"I was like you all once. A blind dog of the Clave's will. Convinced that Idris was safe, that the Angel would protect me. But nothing here is safe from ruin!" He glanced at the ichor message on the floor. "Not from the one who bears the Infernal Cup."

"What does the son of Valentine want from us?" Robert Lightwood called out.

"Plenty. And he will get all he desires. But for now, he will accept a gift in the form of two." The grip of both her hands tightened. One on her sword and one on Jace's hand. "Hand over Jace Lightwood and Clarissa Morgenstern. Give them to him and be granted mercy."

All eyes averted to them. Clary was looking at her, she could feel it. Her own eyes were trained on the Endarkened. The blade he held at the Consul's throat.

"Nephilim do not trade their own. This is something he knows." Robert Lightwood answered.

"We have your five." The Endarkened continued. "Raphael Santiago, the Child of the Night. Meliorn, the Fair. Magnus Bane, the Child of Lilith. Luke Garroway, the Child of the Moon. And Jocelyn Morgenstern, the Nephilim."

Her heart surged. Alive. They were all alive. In Sebastian's grasp, but alive.

"Give us the two for the five. Or else the five will be put to their deaths. For once the Downworlders find that you have sacrificed their own out of folly of rules and tradition, they will turn against you. Your war will be on two fronts. Us and the Downworld."

Clary started forward. Isabelle hurried, jerking her back.

"The Downworld will understand our reasoning for not sacrificing two children to Morgenstern's endless list of the dead."

"On his word, on the Angel itself, no harm will come to either the girl or the boy. They are his sister and brother and he desires them at his side."

It was quick- the soft brush of Jace's lips against her temple. So quick that she wasn't sure what had happened at first. And by the time she was, he was gone from her side. Her hand empty and cold.

"Jace, what-?"

And there he was. In the middle of the stairs. Alone. Brave. Golden as always, a beacon of light. Coldness crept up as realization dawned.

"I'll go!" He shouted out. He lifted his sword and tossed it away. "I'll go to Sebastian." He glanced back at her, a soft smile on his face, a near missed nod. "Clary has to stay, but I will go."

No. No!

Alec's own refusal was drowned out as Shadowhunters began to shout. Jace stood before them all, hands up in surrender. The savior of Alicante. The adoptive son of Valentine Morgenstern. Angel boy.

"Clarissa Morgenstern must come. My master demands, and I shall deliver."

Jace said no. "We are not fools. You think- well, actually, you don't, do you?" Ever the smartass. "You have no brain, no thoughts of your own. You speak words put into your mouth by a demon. You aren't even human."

"Why would anyone ever want to be human?"

"What's the point of your empty bargain?" Jace countered. In that silence between the end of the question and his next sentence, Alec's hand wrapped around Eliza's wrist. "You all go on and on about how much better Sebastian is than us, how the Endarkened are better than the Nephilim. His ability to strike us wherever he wants, here, there, everywhere. You can't offer a bargain that doesn't allow the other side to win. Then again, only humans know that."

The amphitheater was silent. Utterly, completely, silent. On the dais, Mattias still held Jia. His lips moved in quiet succession.

"You cannot win. Not against him." Matthias said. The statement only earned a cold, defiant laugh from Jace.

"Well, then, what does it matter if we die now or die later? Dead is dead, isn't it?"

"You will not win, but you can survive. Drink from the Infernal Cup. Become stronger, faster, better than you ever imagined. Become a soldier of the Morning Star. Those who wish to remain of the Angel may do so, forever sealed away in Idris. As Sebastian Morgenstern rules the world, the Nephilim will be allowed to live safe in their homeland. A promise from my master."

Jace said that any promise of Sebastian's was worth nothing. His word meant nothing.

"Stay here in Idris, with your Downworld allegiants, and your wards. Remain safe for the rest of your days. This mercy is only granted should yourself and Clarissa Morgenstern return to my master of your own will."

Eliza glanced around the room. Without it, though, she would have known. There were some who this offer sounded nice to. Two lives for a life of peace. All Shadowhunters wished to live in Idris at some point or another. And there it was, being offered on a silver, blood-splattered platter. Give up the two and live out the rest of your days safe in your home country. Pretend the world isn't being ravaged outside your very borders.

There were people who wanted to give up the two most important people in her life. She would never let that happen.

The movement drew her out. Clary struggling away from Simon and Isabelle.

"Liz!" Isabelle cried out.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Jace turn, worry etched over him. Eliza yanked free of Alec and reached for Clary.

"No!" She hissed.

"We need time!" Robert Lightwood shouted. "Time for a vote."

Matthias pulled the knife from Jia's throat. He held the weapon high in the air. "Why would my master grant you such a thing as time?"

Something shot past Eliza's face. She whirled, nearly missing the arrow that collided with Matthias' knife. The blow sent the weapon flying from his grasp. He staggered back with a roar; Jia ran across the dais.

Alec had his bow out. She heard Jace yell out a name for a seraph blade. A warning to move from his path. Alec's shout after him.

Alec launched himself over the benches and flung himself onto Jace's back. Both fell to the ground right as the dais erupted in flames. Consul Penhallow screamed and jumped from the dais.

Smoke rose in the amphitheater as they all watched the fire take over. Wood cracked as it burned. Matthias stood in the center of the fire, arms outstretched as he laughed.

Eliza pulled Clary closer to her.

"You have two days, Shadowhunters! Two days before you will burn in the fires of Hell as the ashes of Edom coat your dead!" Matthias' warning ended as he disappeared into the flames. As he disappeared, so did the fire. Gone suddenly as it had appeared. All that could be seen on the dais was the message from Sebastian.

Veni.

Half-moon crescents stung into the palms of her hands, mercilessly dug into the skin by her fingernails. Thoughts of all kinds swirled around her head as if they were flower petals on the surface of a pond.

Her mother, soon-to-be stepfather, best friend, and…Raphael all held captive by Sebastian. Their lives on the line, over if Clary and Jace were handed over like pigs to the slaughter. And she knew, she did know that Sebastian wouldn't kill them. Turn them into Endarkened, maybe, but they'd be alive. The world at stake unless he was stopped. Someway, somehow. Each day, the idea seemed more and more preposterous.

Maybe her purpose had never been to kill him at all. Maybe she hadn't been made as the weapon to kill the ultimate demon. Perhaps her purpose all along had been to die. She was a Shadowhunter and although the Nephilim mission was to fight evil and kill demons, they died every day from it. What made her different? What made her special?

You know what, she told herself, a healthy prenatal dose of Lilith's blood.

It made her faster, stronger, and tougher than a normal Nephilim. Harder to beat, harder to kill.

On either side of her were Clary and Isabelle. Simon stood on Clary's right. Maryse and Robert Lightwood in front of them. Jia and Patrick Penhallow behind the dark wooden desk. Patrick stood behind where Jia sat in the chair, firm hand on her shoulder. The cut on her throat was sealing slowly.

Consul Penhallow's office was comfortable. Not too large, definitely not small. Decorated with elegant yet understated tapestries and a plush rug to cover the cold stone floor.

The topic at hand was not one she much wanted to hear, let alone be a part of. But it impacted far too many of the important people in her life for her to remain silent. Her voice would be heard, and her word would be followed.

"Delivering Jace and Clary to Sebastian Morgenstern is the same as killing them." Maryse insisted.

Jia sighed, "His word is that he won't harm them."

Isabelle was quick to point out that the promises of Sebastian were worthless at best. Even a swear on the Angel meant nothing, not when his allegiance lay with Lilith. As her words were finished, the door to the office swung open and Jace and Alec entered.

In the mess of earlier, Alec attacking Jace had resulted in a few injuries. The split lip that Jace was sporting was on its way to healing. His wrist still looked a little worse for wear, though it was no longer blue.

Dark circles hung under Jace's eyes as he fell in rhythm at Eliza's side. His arm, the movement so natural and fluid, snaked around her waist. Wordlessly, and without looking at him, she stepped forward. His arm fell back at his side.

"The Clave now knows the true threat of the Endarkened. Words were only words when you spoke of the battle at the Burren. The Citadel changed everything for us. No one truly believed there could be a race that was stronger than the Shadowhunters. But now the Endarkened threaten us all." Jia explained to Maryse.

Jace elaborated that Sebastian's attack on the Citadel wasn't full force. He only needed to know what warriors the Clave could muster and how the strongest of the Shadowhunters held up against his own force. With that, Clary added that Sebastian was only trying to weigh the Shadowhunters, measure them up for size.

"There's no one battle that he has in mind." Eliza said. "Not for this. Sebastian will keep doing this, drawing out whatever small forces he can and matching them against too many Endarkened. Those that don't die in the fight will be Turned." Staying inside the country, she continued, wouldn't work anymore. "He's advanced. He took the representatives from the Downworld and if we don't act on this, our allies will turn against us. We will lose everything."

Jia turned to Simon. "If we don't hand over Clarissa and Jace, will the Downworld declare a war against the Shadowhunters?" She asked.

Simon, poor Simon who had only ever wanted to be in Clary's life. Her ever-changing life. His wish had been granted, though not how anyone would have wished. Once a mere mundane boy with an unrequited crush on his best friend. Now a vampire and pro tempore Council representative. "Maybe some of the Downworlders would understand. The vampires, though…they wouldn't care. The warlocks and the fey, I don't really understand them so I can't say. I think the Seelie Queen is going to do whatever is best for herself."

"Meliorn has sworn several times that the fey allegiance lies with the Nephilim, not Sebastian." Robert spoke. "And as we all know, the Fair Folk cannot lie."

"The werewolves will want Luke back, no matter what." Simon said. Robert began that he used to be a Shadowhunter, but Simon interrupted him. "Surely, you see how you all treat Shadowhunters who have been turned into Downworlders. You act like they're tainted because of it. I remember a story Magnus told me where Shadowhunters and Downworlders once had dinner together at an Institute and after, the Shadowhunters threw out all the plates."

"But not all Nephilim-." Maryse started.

"It's enough." Eliza interceded. "Enough Nephilim turn up their noses at Downworlders for our allies to question our loyalty to them. I'm sure we all remember how Simon was treated the first time he came to Idris." She glanced back at the vampire.

Simon nodded, though stiffly. "Alec brought me to the Gard. I was told I was being sent back to New York. Instead, I was put in a cell and I was starved and questioned." Clary put a comforting hand on his arm.

Eliza folded her arms across her chest. "My father, may he burn in Hell for all eternity, tried to convince Luke to kill himself after Luke became a werewolf. An incident, I might add, that Valentine orchestrated himself. And the Praetor Lupus, a protectorate for the Downworld, has been destroyed by Sebastian. The Downworld knows that we need them, but they certainly don't need us."

"It will be war, then?" Jia asked slowly.

"It already is." Simon told her. "He's cornering you on all fronts and using what he knows- selfishness, evil, and betrayal to win this war."

Patrick and Jia shared a look.

Eliza could feel Jace's eyes burning in the back of her skull. After the incident in the antechamber, Jace and Alec had been sent away so that Alec could heal Jace's injuries. Enough time away from him and his worried looks had been enough to convince her. Something had to be done. Action had to be taken. And she knew just what to do. Exactly what had to be done. As much as she hated to do it.

"Are you suggesting that we exchange Jace and Clarissa for his hostages?" Patrick asked them.

"No." Simon said.

And just as he denied, Eliza said "Yes."

The room froze.

Isabelle stood gaping. Her mother held the same expression, or one far too similar. Simon stared at her in disbelief. Alec had taken to averting his eyes elsewhere, anywhere else. Clary had taken a small step back towards the door. Robert and Jia both seemed intrigued by her answer. Patrick, if anything, a little disturbed.

And Jace…his face was pensive. He knew. He always knew.

"Did you say…?"

"Yes." Eliza murmured. She cleared her throat. "Jace and Clary must be handed over to Sebastian. Whatever the Clave choses, they have to go."

"Liz!" Isabelle defied. "You can't be serious!"

She shouldered her resolve. Squared herself, straightened her neck. Let her arms be stiff at her sides. "I am." She said thickly. "I've never been the one to shy from the hard choice and that's what being a Shadowhunter is. In order to win this, we need to protect our alliance with the Downworlders and that means securing our representatives. None of you trust Sebastian's word and you aren't wrong to. But I know him, I grew up with him, I trained with him. I know for a fact that he won't hurt Clary." Not the way you all think.

"And Jace?"

She bit down on the inside of her jaw. "Jace is his brother."

"He's afraid of the heavenly fire." Jace stepped up. "That's the only reason he's asking for me. It can hurt him, and he needs to be in possession of it."

Jia said that Sebastian had chosen a fantastic way to split apart the Nephilim. Making them choose between the Downworld allegiance and the safety of two of their own. Safety or war. Saving themselves or saving the world. "Any suggestions? Please."

"Hiding!" Isabelle suggested. "Somewhere he'll never find. And you can tell him that Jace and Clary ran away and can't be found."

Jace snorted. "That's not very reasonable."

Clary agreed. "He'll find us anywhere. I don't know how he does it, but he has ways. Magnus could have helped but-."

At the look on Alec's face, her words disappeared.

"Other warlocks exist." Patrick reminded them.

Alec's face turned to stone. "There's no guarantee that they'll help us. Especially not now, not with a High Warlock's life on the line."

Someone knocked on the door. Conversation ceased as it opened and two of the Silent Brothers came into Consul Penhallow's office.

"Brothers Enoch and….?"

"Zachariah."

Eliza sucked in a breath as Brother Zachariah drew his hood from his face. Last night, Jace had hinted that the Silent Brother had undergone some sort of transformation as a result of the heavenly fire, but this wasn't what she had expected at all.

He looked human, much more so than the other Silent Brothers. All that remained of his brotherhood were the dark runes seared into the steppes of his cheekbones. Dark hair, elegant features. Tall, slight-figured. Maybe only a few years older than herself.

"Whoa, when did Brother Zachariah get hot?" Isabelle whispered.

The former Silent Brother either heard Isabelle and performed a fantastic poker face or was extremely hard of hearing. He made eye contact with Consul Penhallow and spoke something urgent in a language Eliza didn't recognize.

Jia's hard-lined expression faltered for half a second. "Amalric Kriegsmesser has died." She told them.

Eliza looked at the ground. The Endarkened soldier. The one they had seized in Berlin and had the Silent Brothers experiment on to find a cure or reversal for the Turning. When Brother Zachariah spoke again, his words were tinted with a British lilt. He explained that nothing the Brothers tried worked to cure Kriegsmesser. Not single spell, potion, or rune. Finally, they tried the Mortal Cup. "As soon as he drank from the Angel's Cup, his death was upon him.

Jia nodded. "His body will be sent through to the warlocks in the Spiral Labyrinth so that she-they can study him and perhaps find something to aid us in finding a cure."

She? Who was she?

Patrick said the body would need to buried outside of Brocelind Forest, at the crossroads.

Jace rolled his shoulders. "Where all suicides, criminals, and monsters are buried? Where my mother is buried because she decided to kill herself." Fake cheer coated his words. A bright, happy tone to mask any sort of pain or anger that he held inside.

Brother Zachariah recounted that a young man by the last name Longford had been forced to kill his own parabatai during the battle at the Citadel, the other having been Turned. Not long after the battle, Longford slashed his wrists with his sword. He, along with the others who perished in the battle, would be burned and awarded with attendant honors.

Eliza glanced back just as Jace looked forward to her. Their eyes met and with that one look, she knew. Her heart seized.

"Soon enough, Sebastian is going to find worse things to hurt us with." Jace turned to Jia. "You have to let me go after him. And becoming one of them…it's a fate worse than death." He stepped forward and leaned his palms down on the desk. "Send me, Consul. With the heavenly fire in my veins, I can kill him."

"Liz, you can't let him go." Clary begged. "You can't."

Eliza swallowed. It was a bad idea, a horrible one really. Delivering her boyfriend on a silver platter. It was a bad idea, but it was their only option. She wouldn't let her mother and friends die and the fragile alliance with the Downworld could not be compromised.

"I can. And I will." She finally said. "Jace has to go to him. It's the only way."

His fingers skirted down her wrist in a subtle fashion. We'll talk later, the gesture promised. With so little time and so much to say.

"He can't just be sent off. We have no clue where Sebastian is." Maryse pointed out to them. "He'll have to come and take you."

"Jace Herondale cannot be delivered to Sebastian Morgenstern." Brother Zachariah interjected. Eliza looked to him. "Not, I mean, in a way that can be expected. He has to be surprised by our offering."

Jace leaned back from the desk. Eliza turned from the desk and fixed her eyes on the tapestry. The designed pattern blurred in her vision as the others behind her concocted failing plans to capture or surprise Sebastian.

She closed her eyes. Listened as Consul Penhallow instructed them to table the matter and leave it for the Clave and Council to decide.

"Soon, the funeral rites for those who died during the battle at the Citadel will commence." Brother Zachariah informed. "After, the Council will meet to discuss the situation at hand. May I suggest that Clary and Jace remain at the Inquisitor's residence during this?"

Clary objected immediately. "We deserve to be at that meeting. Especially since it concerns us!"

Eliza swept across the room back to Clary's side. Furtively, her eyes glanced to Brother Zachariah and then the Consul before resting again on Clary. "It's all right, Clary. I'll stay with the two of you. I'm sure they just want you to be well-rested. You've had a strenuous few days." Her voice lulled the apparent anger in her younger sister. "And when the time is right, Consul. Penhallow will summon for us. Won't you?" Dark eyes met the gaze of the Consul.

Sharply, Jia Penhallow nodded. "You need to regain energy. It's best for you to stay in on this night; it could, after all, be very long."