For a long while after they had been deposited back at the Lightwood house, Jace and Eliza sat in uneased silence. Alec allowed them the privacy of the room he and Jace were sharing.
"In all honesty," Eliza finally spoke, eyes leaving the curtained window to meet Jace's gaze, "I don't understand the difference between you going after Sebastian and me going after Sebastian."
Jace was sitting on the edge of his own bed, hands placed properly in his lap. She sat on the edge of Alec's bed. "He won't kill me. You know that. The heavenly fire protects me. You'd be going in with…"
"Only my superior fighting skills and wicked charm?" She retorted.
He breathed out a half-interested laugh. And for the duration of that glorious sound, she forgot about everything. The lies, the war, everything that had ever caused issue between them. Yet, as soon as the grim expression returned to his face, everything flooded back. They were fighting a war. A war that wouldn't even have begun had she been successful in her very first mission and secured the Mortal Cup from her father.
"Why did you agree?" He whispered. "I know you don't want me to go. Or Clary. Especially not Clary."
Eliza sighed. "Because you have to. And like you said, he won't kill you. Either of you. We both know it's possible that the Clave will vote to send you both anyways and my protests won't stop that. I just…" She paused to take a shaking breath. Her eyes darted around the room before letting them rest on him. "I need you to make me a promise, Jace."
He moved from his own bed to Alec's. He sat down next to her, taking her hands in his. "Liz, I know. You don't have to say it. I'll protect Clary with my life. She's the most important person in your life."
She laughed quietly and then shook her head. Of course, that was where his mind travelled off to. "I know that, which is why that wasn't what I was talking about." He frowned, asking what else she could have in mind. "Promise me that, no matter what, you won't go where I can't follow."
"Liz, what-?"
"We aren't the same, Jace Herondale, we never have been. This life is all we have together because when it ends, if there's an afterlife…we aren't destined for the same place. You're of the angels and I'm…well, we know what I am. So, please, promise me that you won't die. Not before me."
"You're being morbid, Eliza."
"I'm being realistic. We're in the middle of a war that may not end in our favor. Swear on the Angel that while you're gone, you'll stay alive. Because if you're going to die, I'd rather it be beside me on a battlefield than where I can't see you. It sounds completely-."
Jace chuckled under his breath. "It sounds like something I would say to you, if the roles were reversed."
She smiled. "Will you do it? Swear on the Angel?"
"Only if you make me a promise in return."
"I won't die before you-."
Jace got up from the bed. Still holding both her hands, he knelt down on the dark wood floor. One knee on the ground, the other bent. His hands were warm, clammy with nerves she didn't think he had ever possessed before. His eyes, having previously been dark with stress, had turned a light gold in the moment.
"Jace-."
"I swear on the Angel that I'll come back to you." He said quickly, cutting off her impending question.
Her heart was racing because she knew deep down what he was about to ask her. It was something they had discussed a million times over. Jace had always been the one she would marry, she had known that since the first moment she realized she loved him. There was never going to be another person for her. If it wasn't Jace, it wasn't anyone else. He was hers and she was his. Light and dark, the opposite sides of the same coin.
He loved her despite all the lies and the faults and the problems she had caused. He loved her despite her father and brother and the curse of her blood. Even when he thought it was wrong to love her, it hadn't stopped him. He had been ready to risk everything for her. He had killed for her. She was his.
He had let down his walls for her, shown her his true heart. The boy- no the man, behind the sarcastic and cold exterior. Spaghetti baths and broken birds. Moonflowers and stolen kisses in the greenhouse. He made her feel safe and protected, loved for the first time in her life. Beyond the physicality of their relationship, he knew her in a way no one else did. He understood the trials and the pains of her heart. He read her soul like a book that never ended, and instead of closing it upon reading the horrors of her, he kept it open and bookmarked each with a kiss. For him, she would live, and she would die. For him, she would kill. Jace Herondale was her heart, the living embodiment of her love. He was hers.
"You're everything to me." He said, voice barely a whisper. His words shook, hands unsteady. She ran her thumbs over the back of his hands in soothing circles. "I've never loved someone the way I love you. I'll never love someone the way I love you. You're it for me. My heart and soul, everything I have belongs to you. You'll never feel unsafe, I'll always protect you. I'll love you through hell and highwater. You'll never carry the burden of your family's name again, because you'll have a new one. One we can make stronger and brighter together. The way I love you, it's stronger than death. So, promise me, when I come back, when we win this war…Eliza Seraphine, marry me."
As he spoke the words, tears sprung to her eyes. Very rarely did she cry by means of happiness. But how could she not when the man she loved was down on bended knee, asking her to marry him? Asking her to shed the weight of the Morgenstern stain and take his name. Whether he decided to go by Lightwood or Herondale.
"Are you sure…?" She murmured. "After everything, you're really sure?"
He blinked several times. "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life, Lizzie. I want you, only you. Forever. For eternity. When we're here and when we're dust after we're gone. And if there's a Heaven and they don't let you in, drag me down to Hell with you because I never want to be apart from you."
It was never in the cards to say no. It had never been in her heart or mind to refuse him. She would never deny a future with him.
"Of course." She nodded quickly. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."
He lunged upwards, tackling her down to the bed. Soft, urgent kisses peppered her face before he finally pressed one to her lips. "I love you. God, I love you so much."
It wasn't soon after that they were joined by the others who were left behind in the house. Alec was very strict about their alone time. "Who knows what they'll get into if we leave them alone for too long? They'll either fight or screw to the death." It wasn't necessarily a wrong statement, but both Jace and Eliza found it funny that people thought they simply couldn't enjoy one another's company.
In between Alec's timid shouts for them to be "social" again, they agreed to keep their engagement a secret. They were only seventeen for one, and for another, everyone's focus needed to be on the war and not what time of year they wanted to hold a wedding. Especially since Jocelyn and Luke had yet to reschedule their ruined nuptials. Once the war was over, they'd announce that, after a long engagement, they would get married.
"I feel like we're in a prison." Jace muttered. His head rested against the glass of the window seat. His arms were wrapped around his knees, holding them to his chest. Just to be safe, he had moved into the window seat right after their alone time was put to a stop.
Eliza frowned at him. "Jace, we've both done the whole prison thing before and it was a lot worse than this. I mean, at least there's no chance of Valentine running in and scaring us half to death with a fear demon."
"Good point."
"Well, it could be the fact that there are armed guards standing outside the house." Simon pointed out. "Just a thought."
Jace rolled his eyes. "Why is it that mundanes always have to state the obvious?" He turned his attention back to the window, leaning forward to stare down at said guards. Simon's statement was rather obvious, as there were several guards positioned outside the Lightwood house. From the attic room that Jace and Alec shared, they looked like mere specs rather than trained warriors.
Simon, once again, reminded Jace that he was no longer a mundane. "But, why is it that Shadowhunters always have to get themselves and everyone that they care about killed?"
Eliza's head jerked towards Simon. It was a low blow, especially for him. She glanced over at Alec, whose blue eyes were narrowed in concentration.
He had posted himself against the wall by the window ever since coming into the room and hadn't moved since. Chin held up by his hand, the gears of his brain were clearly up to something. "Quit, both of you." He shushed them. "Jace, the guards aren't there to keep us in. They're there to keep whatever out."
"Ah, I see. You're still pissed that I broke your phone. You know, you broke my wrist, so I think we're even."
Alec sent him a vicious glare.
"He sprained your wrist." Eliza corrected. "It would've taken a hell of a lot longer to heal if it had been broken."
"Same thing." Jace muttered.
"Now they're arguing. Aren't you going to snap at them?" Simon asked Alec.
Alec turned on Simon. His face was pulled together in a thinly blanketed expression of abhorrence. "Do not talk to me." He bit at him. "I can't look at you without the picture of walking in on you laying all over my little sister."
At that, Jace's attention was promptly caught. He turned away from the window, leaning his body forward towards Simon. "Oh? And what's this about?" Simon's cheeks flushed pink. An interesting feat since vampires had an extremely difficult time blushing. "Simon Lewis, what were you doing with our sweet Isabelle? Something rather raunchy, I'd guess, since you're blushing so much." Jace's mouth was spread into an amused grin.
"Whatever it was, it wasn't as weird as anything you two," Alec gestured between Jace and Eliza, "get up to."
Eliza's nose crinkled. "Hey! Leave me out of this."
"And for the record, my fi-." Jace's words were cut off by the door opening. Eliza exhaled quietly. He'd nearly slipped on their little secret.
Clary and Isabelle came into the room. Clary had Emma Carstairs by the hand. Emma was tall for her age and Clary short, which meant that Clary was barely a head taller than the younger girl.
Eliza cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't know you'd taken up babysitting."
Emma gave her a haughty look. "For your information, I got here all on my own. Through the window."
Jace snickered at Emma's response. Alec was about to protest at the young girl's presence, but Clary held up a hand to stop him. She placed her other hand on Emma's shoulder comfortingly.
"Emma has something she needs us all to hear."
Clary was really good with Emma and when Eliza thought about it, she had been really good with Max Lightwood as well. With a warm heart, she remembered how good Jace had been with his little brother. Max had adored Jace, practically worshipped the ground he walked on.
"Will you tell us how you got in the window?" Jace asked the young girl in a soft voice. "It isn't exactly on the first floor."
The blond girl shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. She admitted that she had climbed over the rooftops of the other houses until she reached the Lightwood residence. Under her determination that all dormer windows belonged to bedrooms, she picked the nearest one and wound up in the same room as Isabelle and Clary. "Everyone kept saying that all of you were here. You need my help."
The corner of Jace's mouth turned up in an amused smirk. His gaze met Eliza's and they shared a knowing, impressed look.
Eliza leaned back towards Emma. "Then help us."
Emma's eyes shone. "I know the man that attacked Consul Penhallow today. He attacked our Institute with Sebastian." Eliza sucked in a breath. The same attack where Emma's parents had been murdered. In the mess of the past few days, it was easy to forget that little Emma had just lost her family. "Edom is real."
She swallowed thickly. Her skin felt hot all over. Not the way Jace's did when the heavenly fire became too much. She knew for a fact Edom was real. She'd seen it once, in a dream that Lilith had sent her.
"They said that they were going to take Mark to Edom and sacrifice him. Some woman yelled out at us when we were escaping, and she said that we would all burn in Edom." Emma continued.
"Isn't there where-?" Clary began.
"Where Lilith reigns?" Eliza cut her off. "Yes." Her demon blood donor reigned over that hellscape.
Alec and Jace shared some sort of parabatai connection. Their eyes met and Alec quietly slipped out of the room. Jace asked Emma if she had mentioned the information to anyone besides them. In response, she wordlessly shook her head.
"Why not tell the Clave?" Simon asked her softly. Emma told him that there was no way she'd trust the Clave, but she did trust them.
"I don't trust anyone." Jace pointed out helpfully. "It saves me a lot of trouble." His statement was met with looks of disapproval and confusion by Clary, Isabelle, Simon, Alec, and Eliza. "Okay, so I trust very few people."
Emma's bottom lip trembled. She was doing her very best not to show any fear in the presence of so many older, more experienced Shadowhunters. But she was also only twelve years old. And so much had happened to her in so little time. "The Clave made all of us use the Angel's Sword when we came from our Institute." Emma told them. "All of us, even the little kids. Just to make sure we weren't lying." Anger edged the pain in her voice. "Do you know how much it hurts to hold it?"
Eliza straightened. "Yes, I do." She told Emma in a quiet voice. "I've been questioned twice before. What they do, how they do it, hurts. It isn't fair."
Emma nodded slowly. "They're making us stay with the Penhallows because we don't have any adults to watch us now." She continued on. "And because we know things. Things we saw." Clary asked what they would have seen that the Clave wanted to know. "Patrick and Jia came back from the funeral with the other heads of the Institutes. They were all talking about whether or not to let Sebastian have Clary and Jace. Like they have a say in your lives, but it's your choice if you want to go. It didn't matter to some of them, you know. Whether you two wanted to be handed over or not."
Eliza's eyes flickered over to Jace. He was watching Emma with curiosity.
"They used the Sword on Jules until it burned his hands." Emma murmured. "You have to know what they said about you. The Clave knows you can make Portals, Clary. If you escape, they have no leverage for Sebastian."
At that moment, Alec slipped back into the room. He was just as quiet as he had been when he exited. In his hands, he held a leather-bound brown book. He nodded discreetly at Jace before kicking the door shut softly.
"Emma, what did they say they were going to do about us?" Jace questioned.
As he spoke, Alec moved across the room and sat down on his own bed next to Eliza. He placed the book behind his body. She leaned back to take a peek at the title, but it was turned upside down.
Quietly, Emma said nothing yet. "When I left, they were still fighting about it. But I knew I had to come and tell you. Jules didn't want me to leave, he worries about me a lot."
Alec smiled, clearly amused by the sentiment. "It's not bad that he worries. It means he cares." He told her. "It's good to have people who care about you like that." The girl's brown eyes flittered between Jace and Alec. She asked Alec if he worried about Jace a lot. Nodding, Alec chuckled. "All the time. He's my parabatai, I worry about him more than I do myself."
"Granted," Eliza interrupted, "Jace does a lot more worrisome things than you do."
"A very good point." Alec agreed with her.
Jace narrowed his eyes at her. Emma made clear her desire for her own parabatai. She wanted a bond like Alec and Jace shared, a person who wanted her out of free will, not force. She then said that she needed to tell them what the Clave said because Jace and Clary didn't need to be punished for being heroes.
"You think I'm a hero?" Jace gawked.
"Oh, God." Alec muttered.
"Here we go." Izzy shook her head.
Emma blushed furiously. "I knew who you were when we met. Everyone does, you know. Jonathan Herondale. They said that you used to be the son of Valentine but you aren't anymore. But sometimes you're Jace Lightwood too. That confuses me, but my dad wanted to help you. He said that the Carstairs owed a debt to the Herondales and he voted for the Council to keep looking for you when you were gone." Her voice had gone onto a slight ramble. For what the Carstairs were indebted into the Herondales for, no one knew. "That's why I came. He would have wanted me to help you, no matter if it was dangerous or not."
Jace cracked a smile. He moved from his seat in the window to stand in front of Emma. He knelt down to be at eye level with her. "I don't think you give danger a second thought, Emma Carstairs."
Eliza asked her if there was anything else they needed to know. Had the Clave said anything else about the situation?
Emma said no. "They don't know where your brother is." Eliza stiffened at the words. Brother. She knew now more than ever. There had never been a brother. Only a demon in Shadowhunter's clothing. "Or Edom. They don't know it's a real place, I don't think."
Jace patted Emma on the shoulder before standing back up to full height. "You did us a big favor tonight by coming here." He said. "But, you really need to get back to the Penhallow's before someone realizes you aren't there. And from now on, us Herondales owe the Carstairs."
"Us?" Emma frowned. "Are there more of you? My dad said you were the only one left." Not so subtly, Jace glanced at Eliza. "Are you two married?" Emma asked suddenly.
"What?" Eliza asked quickly. "No. Of course, not." Her cheeks were warm.
Jace smirked before shaking his head. "We aren't." He told Emma. "But I'll tell you something. I'm gonna marry her one day. And then, I won't be the only Herondale left."
Resolutely, Emma nodded. She said that she was glad Jace wouldn't be alone. He went to stand behind Eliza, placing his hands on her shoulders. Clary led Emma over to the window. She hugged Emma quickly, but firmly, before opening up the window. She told her to be careful and quiet on her way back. With the agility only Shadowhunters could possess, Emma swung herself up towards the roof.
Boots scraping against the tiles of the roof were all they heard. After a moment, it was quiet.
"She's cool." Isabelle decided. "Not so unlike someone," she stared pointedly at Jace, "was at that age. Apparently invincible to herself and way too strong-willed."
Clary asked if they needed to tell the Council any part of what Emma had just relayed to them. "Does it matter?" Eliza sighed. "Whatever the Clave decides, Jia has to adhere to that. Which means if they want to lock you both up until Sebastian comes for you, that's what they'll do. But no matter what, the two of you are going to him."
Jace nodded solemnly. "We just need to figure out what to do with the information Emma gave us. Find a way to use it before they decide." He turned to Alec. "What did you find?"
Alec reached behind his back and pulled the book out for everyone to see. Eliza narrowed her eyes to find the title. It was an encyclopedia daemonica. Demon encyclopedia.
"I was wondering if maybe Edom wasn't just another name for Hell. Perhaps it was one of the demon dimensions." He said, flipping the book open.
Isabelle said that the theory could make sense. "Sebastian is untrackable, which means he's probably holed up in another dimension. But there are millions and you can't get there by any normal means."
Alec agreed with her. "Some of them are more widely known. This one mentions Edom, almost like it's a wasteland or something. Here, listen," he cleared his throat as he began to read the passage to them, "And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever."
"Sounds beautiful." Jace remarked.
Eliza licked over her bottom lip. "It's the truth. I've seen it, in the dreams Lilith sent me." They were all looking at her. Waiting for her to go on, spill the ugly truth of her demonic-fueled nightmares. "The dimension is ash. Nothing can grow, nothing can prosper. It's barren, just as Lilith was meant to be. In the dre-nightmares, Sebastian said he was taking me home. And Lilith was there. She wasn't just feeding me nightmares to draw me closer to Sebastian, she was showing me her world." She explained to them. "Lilith and Asmodeus, a Prince of Hell, were both banished to Edom."
Clary groaned loudly. "It makes sense why he would hide out there. Lilith has been protecting him his entire life. He's safe in her realm."
"Not that we could get there." Jace was quick to say. "The passage does say that no one can get through to Edom. We can't even get into demon realms."
Alec pulled a face. It wasn't a very encouraging one. Then again, Alec didn't have too many expressions that brought forth encouragement on any occasion. "Actually, there is a way." He said. "It's not within Nephilim Laws, it's from an old and unstable magic."
"Don't say it." Eliza warned, stomach already churning with the thought of what he was about to say.
"The pathway is guarded by the Fair Folk. In the Seelie Court."
The last time they had gone to the Seelie Court, the entire trip had been a disaster. The Seelie Queen had forced them to play her torturous game in the effort of not being trapped there forever, making Clary and Jace kiss. Meliorn had broken off his dalliance with Isabelle. Simon had been killed and turned into a vampire.
Jace rubbed over her shoulders. "Damn it." She muttered. "I really hate the Seelie Court." After a moment, she grabbed Alec by the wrist forcefully. "You're sure we can't Portal to Edom? It'd be a lot quicker."
Mournfully, Alec shook his head. He hadn't gone with them that night to the Seelie Court, but Eliza's anger-infused rendition of the evening had been helpful in his understanding. "Only demons can Portal between dimensions. You know that."
"Maybe Clary could mess around with the Portals runes and-." Jace was in the middle of suggesting one of his worse ideas when Clary cut him off. Adamantly, she said there was no way she would try that. There was too much risk in one or all of them getting seriously injured.
"Safely," Clary continued on, "I can get us as far as the Seelie Court by Portal since I've been there before. But it could still be dangerous since we haven't been invited into their territory."
Jace shook his head at her. He stepped back from Eliza, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's just going to be me. I'm going alone."
Alec jumped up from beside Eliza. She whipped around to glare at Jace.
"No way you're going alone!" Alec snapped at him. "I won't have it." Jace rocked forward and back on the balls of his feet. His jaw was locked tightly. "Were we not going to discuss telling the Clave all this information first anyway?"
Jace said no firmly. If even a few members of the Clave went through the Seelie Court, it would further strain their relationship with the Fair Folk. The fey didn't take too kindly to anyone venturing into their territory. It could easily be seen as an act of war. Isabelle said she wasn't sure the six of them would be welcomed in with open arms.
"The Queen has been willing to help us before." Jace reminded them.
Eliza cocked an eyebrow. "She's willing to help you, let's not get it twisted." She muttered. The Seelie Queen was a little too soft on Jace. "I wouldn't trust her with your life, though."
Jace relaxed. His arms fell to his sides and he shrugged. "No need to trust her. As long as she thinks helping us into Edom will come out in her benefit, we'll be fine." Alec said that even though they weren't adults by Clave standards, whatever they did in the Seelie Court would represent the Clave. "Then we have to be on our best use of tact and cleverness."
"Oh, right, because that's such an easy feat for you." Eliza smirked. Her comment made him roll his eyes. "We'd be better off using the Clave for this." From her, that meant a lot. More than anyone, she distrusted the Clave. Valentine had been right about one thing: the Clave was corrupt.
"If only we had the time." Jace told her. "Your mom, Luke, Magnus, and Raphael can't wait." Quietly, Eliza agreed. "Sebastian is moving too quickly for the Clave to catch up to him. But I have to go alone. Like Brother Zachariah said, I'm the heavenly fire. It's in me. There's no time to summon another angel and get another weapon of heaven."
"Just because you're the only chance we have in defeating Sebastian, doesn't mean you have to do it alone." Clary insisted. Alec nodded in agreement. "Plus, you need us. Sebastian is bound to have a lot of Endarkened guarding him. But before that, you have to navigate through the Seelie realm to find the path and then there's the whole actually finding Sebastian-."
Jace waved off the last part. Sebastian's silver bracelet was still secured around his wrist. "I can use the bracelet to track him once I'm there."
Clary was relentless on her mission. And with Alec and Isabelle backing her, it was becoming clear. They were not letting Jace go alone.
"We're just sitting ducks if we hang out around here." Simon added. "Sebastian said he would wait two days, but what about when that time limit is up? Or if he gets bored and comes sooner? He doesn't expect us to come looking for him. He may not even think we know where to go."
Alec stood up. He passed the book off to Eliza. "You aren't going without me." There was a strict, stubborn coldness to his voice. He almost sounded like…his mother. "Magnus's life is in danger. You can't go without me. That would explicitly be a dishonoring our oath and bond as parabatai. Not to mention me as a Shadowhunter."
Jace's mouth fluttered, trying to work out some sort of reply. Everyone knew that Jace never had any intentions of hurting Alec or flagrantly disrespecting their sacred parabatai bond. "I never-Alec, I swear-How could you-?"
"Then, that's it. We're coming with you." Isabelle decided. Jace clamped his mouth shut. "Face it, you need us with you to get this done. This is our fight, Jace. We're in this together, the way we always have been."
He looked to Eliza. His stare was silently begging her to take his side. Everyone listened to her. If she backed him up, everyone would lay off and let him go alone. C'mon Liz, help me. Please.
Eliza cleared her throat. The other five looked at her. "Jace, I know you want to go alone. But you can't."
His shoulders instantly deflated.
"You didn't actually think that this whole time I was seriously okay with you going off with Sebastian alone, did you?" She didn't give him time to answer before speaking again. "The plan was to give you up to Sebastian and then sneak off to follow you. So, I guess this is a better idea."
Isabelle wore a proud expression that Eliza had actually sided with them and not Jace.
"Fine." Jace sighed. "We don't have a lot of time. Get into gear and pack your bags. Pack food and water, blankets, and extra steles. And weapons. Whatever you can find and make fit." He rubbed his hands together before making eye contact with Simon. "You're going to need bottled blood. I have a feeling there won't be a lot of dine-out options for you where we're going."
"Well," Simon smiled slightly, "I could always eat you guys." He cast Eliza a sheepish look. "Maybe not you. I still get kind of nauseas when I think about that one time."
Everyone agreed with Jace's packing list. Alec said they needed to meet back in their room in ten minutes. Clary would Portal them to the Court and Jace needed to come up with a fey-proof strategy for getting them through the realm of the Fair Folk.
Everyone dispersed. Jace followed Eliza out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly.
"We need to talk." He whispered, glancing around to make sure they were alone.
"No time. Alec was very strict about the time limit." She said.
"You lied to me. Or at least, didn't tell me the whole truth."
There was a pain in his voice that didn't arise often. It was enough to make her wince. "For your own protection. You should have known there was no way I would let you go alone. He's too dangerous."
"Which is exactly why I don't want you or the others going. At least I have the heavenly fire to protect me."
She reached down and took his hand in hers. "And now you have us too. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the rest of my plan. I just want to keep you safe, Jace. Please understand that."
"I do. I just wish you had told me." He pulled his hand from hers. "We'd better back. Not a lot of time left."
"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the Seelie Court?" Eliza mumbled.
She picked herself up from the thin bed of moss that covered the ground. The others were already up and standing. Clary was still on the ground. She had come through her Portal last; Eliza had insisted on going through right before her.
Eliza flecked a stray piece of moss from her cheek. They were standing inside a moss-blanketed tunnel. Little phosphorescent flowers dotted the green covered walls. Roots of various lengths hung over them from the roof. The tunnel branched into others, though some looked unable to permit a normal-sized person.
"Uh," Isabelle looked around the tunnel, "where is it that you deposited us, Clary?"
"We're in the tunnel just outside of the throne room."
Isabelle plucked a large chunk of moss from her hair. Jace started off down the corridor. His movements were soundless. The rest of them followed behind him. Eliza made her way up to his side.
"Jace."
Wordlessly, he grabbed hold of her hand. He pointed ahead at the archway before them. The opening was shrouded by a thick sheet of thorns. Beyond, on the other side, laughter rang out. "All or nothing." He mumbled. From his belt, he produced a dagger. He used the weapon to make a parting in the middle of the thorn doorway. As he did, the rest of them leaned closer to get a look inside the other room.
The first place Eliza's eyes decided to rest was the chaise in the middle of the room. The Seelie Queen looked more than comfortable as she lounged on the white crystal furniture. Her dark red hair was decorated with a crown of white roses, a compliment to the icy-sheer silver and white dress that adorned her body. In some places, the dress was completely see-through. Upon a closer look, Eliza realized that the entire dress could have been see-through, if it weren't for the ice crystals.
She paid only half a mind to the faerie knight standing next to the Queen. An antlered helmet was secured under his arm. Instead, she took in the rest of the room. It was all winter-white, snow, ice, and glittering crystals. What had once been earthen walls on their last visit were now walls of thick ice crystal. Snow blanketed the ground. Icicles crossed over with silver and golden thorns were suspended from the ceiling.
"Gwyn, tell me about the Wild Hunt." The Queen instructed the knight next to her. "Was the Adamant Citadel adequate for your Gatherers of the Dead?" The question struck a concerned chord in Eliza. "I heard that many Nephilim passed through the land of the dead."
Apparently, the words didn't only strike her the wrong way. Each of her companions around her stiffened.
"I heard similar reportings, my Queen." Gwyn's voice was jagged and rough, nothing at all like the smooth and formal Meliorn. "Unfortunately, our riders were not present at the Adamant Citadel. We trifle not with the trials between the Dark Ones and the Nephilim. We do mix poorly with the angels and the demons."
The Queen wasn't pleased with his answer. Her lips drew together in a pout. "I cannot say I am not upset by this news." She gave a long, drawn out sigh. "I have told all the realm, but if I must repeat it: now is the time for the Fair Folk to take back our power. We are immortal beings and must take back our right from the Nephilim."
"My sincerest apologies, my Queen."
The Queen turned her nose up and looked away. Clearly, his apology meant nothing to her. "This spurns my gift to you, Gwyn." She murmured. "The Blackthorn boy is such a treat. Nephilim blood mixed with our own is rare and must be under our control. That was the reason Sebastian and I turned you toward the boy."
At his name, Jace's hold on Eliza's hand tightened. The Queen said Sebastian's name with an affectionate tone. Not so unlike the way Alec and Magnus spoke of one another. Or how Jace and Eliza did.
She knew him, knew him well. The Seelie Queen was fond of him, cared for him. It made Eliza sick. Not to mention the gift of one of the Blackthorns. Whichever of the boys had fey blood.
Allies. Sebastian had mentioned his abundance of allies, ones they had no clue about. How unlucky for them that one of those allies happened to be the Seelie Queen.
Eliza took a slow step back, bumping into Alec. There was no way the Queen would let them pass through. She wasn't on their side and Eliza had a sneaking suspicion she never had been. Why else would she have given Clary those faerie rings? Definitely not from the goodness of her cold, icy heart.
"I am now owed a favor from you, Gwyn." The Queen went on. "I have given you the Nephilim child, now you must give me something else. Your aid at the next battle shall suffice."
The knight's frown was prominent. "The Wild Hunt is not subject to the laws of the fey, my lady. Surely one Nephilim boy who happens to have a slight amount of fey blood isn't worth that much. It's known how little we in the Hunt care for the issues involving the Shadowhunters."
The Queen said there was no need for the Hunt to involve themselves in the actual fight. Her only need for them was to assist her with the bodies of the dead after the fact. "It comes the time when the Nephilim pay for their crimes, just as everyone does. And the penance will be great, Gwyn."
Another faerie knight, this one clad in white armor, walked into the throne room. He positioned himself on the Queen's other side. One shift in his movement and Eliza's entire body went cold.
Meliorn.
Both Jace and Alec had hold of Eliza now. Jace's hand was still secured around hers. Both of Alec's hands held onto her shoulders.
"Wait." Alec whispered.
After Gwyn hesitantly to the Queen's terms, she dismissed him from her presence. The Wild Hunt knight took his leave and disappeared down a dark tunnel on the other side of the room. The Seelie Queen stared up at Meliorn. "What is it, Meliorn? Do you bring news of the Downworld pisoners?"
Alec inhaled sharply. The slight noise was enough to draw Melion's attention. His eyes narrowed and the leaf imprinted on his cheek glittered. "My lady," his hand was reaching for the weapon at his side, "I believe we have visitors."
Eliza jerked herself from their grasp and pulled Eosphoros from its sheath. Hastily, she ripped through the thorn curtain.
"Meliorn, I believe you were right."
In half a second, Jace was at her side. His seraph blade, ready and glowing, was out. Clary was on her left, her own Morgenstern sword free from her belt. Isabelle's whip was half twisted around her wrist, half curled on the ground. Alec had his bow strung and nocked with an arrow. Even Simon was prepared to fight, fangs bared into a menacing smile.
The Seelie Queen bolted up into a proper sitting position. "You are breaking a Covenant Law by entering this Court without invitation!"
"Bitch," Eliza snarled, "you do not want to start with me."
Jace's seraph blade- which she had heard him name Gabriel- glowered in his grip. "You have no room to talk to us about breaking Covenant Law!" He roared. Heavenly fire flashed in his veins. In the moment, he looked every bit of a warrior from the heavens. Her vision flashed back to Raziel, blurring his image with Jace's. "Do you know what else is considering breaking Covenant Law? Lying to the Council, murdering, and taking our Downworld representatives hostage. You're going to pay for your alliance with Sebastian Morgenstern." His voice was rough, jagged with unbridled anger. Crossing Jace was no mere mess.
"I am the Queen of the Seelie Court. I do not pay."
Jace leapt forward, planting himself on top of her chaise. He stood over her, the tip of the seraph blade flush against the hollow of the Queen's throat. "Didn't you just say that everyone pays?"
In all reality, Eliza probably should have stepped in. But she had never liked the Seelie Queen.
"Tells us how you got away with lying to us." Isabelle took a slow step towards the chaise. "Melion swore to the Council that you were on our side. And everyone knows the fey can't lie."
Eliza took half a breath. She glanced between Meliorn and the Queen. "He's not fully fey." She realized. "Meliorn can lie. They knew that we didn't know that. That's how they got away with it. Isn't it?"
With an amused smile, the Queen nodded. Her eyes glittered as she glanced at Isabelle. "Not all answers have to be complicated."
"You've had this planned for a long time, haven't you?" Clary demanded. "That's why you asked me to put a good word in so he could be on the Council. He can lie for you."
Jace's eyes shone with betrayal. "I ought to cut your throat this very second."
The Queen was well skilled in not showing fear. She remained still, even with Jace's blade at her throat. "Do that and all of the Fair Folk will be against you."
Eliza pushed past Isabelle. Chills swept through her. Too familiar, too welcoming. "As opposed to what you are now?" She twirled the sword in her hand. "There's no getting out of this one, my lady. You've just confessed to betraying the Clave by allying yourself with the demon Sebastian Morgenstern. I have no doubt that you allowed him passage to the Adamant Citadel since it rests on ley lines. But, please, tell me how the Fair Folk aren't against the Nephilim already." She leaned down close to the Queen's face. Carefully, she plucked one of the roses and crushed it in her grasp. "I'm the daughter of Valentine and I have Lilith's blood in my veins. My wrath isn't easily managed, and well, you've taken my family hostage." The petals of the rose fell down around the Queen. "As I said, you don't want to cross me. It would be a fatal mistake."
Meliorn lunged at her. He knocked the sword from her grasp and roped her in his own. His blade was pressed against her neck, his other arm secured hers to her sides. "My Queen, if we kill them here and now, the Clave need never know about our-."
Alec loosed his arrow. It lodged into Meliorn's thigh and he fell back onto the ground. By the time Eliza recovered and picked up her sword, Alec had another arrow notched and was standing guard over Meliorn. The snow near his injured leg was tinging red.
Jace's eyes flicked to her, their gazes meeting. Are you all right, he mouthed. She nodded, sweeping little wisps of hair from her face. If they didn't let her slice Meliorn into little cat sized pieces-.
"Tell us how to get Magnus and the hostages back or you'll become our new pincushion." Alec threatened the faerie knight.
Meliorn spit on Alec's boots. He vowed to tell them nothing. He would never betray his Queen, no matter how much they tortured him.
"Anything he says wouldn't matter anyway." Isabelle waved it off. "He's half-fey, so he can lie about anything he wants. We couldn't believe a word of it."
"Then kill him." Eliza told Alec.
Alec said nothing. He let the arrow fly. The thin weapon plunged itself into the knight's chest. The close proximity of the blow caused his body to slide back through the snow. With a dull sound, Meliorn hit the cavern wall.
The sound of the Seelie Queen's screech pierced the room. Above them, an icicle shattered. All around, the faeries were roaring their battle cries outside of the throne room.
"I think you saved my life." Eliza grabbed Alec's elbow.
"He put Magnus' life in danger."
She could hear it in his voice- or the lack thereof- no remorse. He had no qualms of murdering the faerie knight. Just then, the floor shook beneath them. Together, they steadied each other. Near the entrance they had used to throne room, Clary Simon were a pile of limbs and torsos. An unbreachable wall of earth was sliding across the archway where the curtain of thorns had once been. With an earth-shaking thud, the wall closed through the archway, locking them in and away from the force of faeries that had been rushing to aid the Queen.
Eliza spied Clary's stele tightly gripped in her hand. She's done it again. She looked back at Jace. He was on the ground, his seraph blade repositioned and aimed at the Queen's heart.
Simon asked Clary if she was going to close the back tunnel and sharply, she said no. "It leads into the demon realms. Meliorn's boots were coated in pitch."
"Give the Queen our terms, Jace." Alec instructed his parabatai. "If she agrees, she lives."
Before Jace could speak, the Queen's high-pitched laugh echoed through the room. "I was wrong to underestimate you, archer. A broken heart is much sharper than an arrow."
Alec's eye twitched. "You are not fit to lead the Fair Folk. You are arrogant and self-serving. Under you, the Fair Folk suffer. Under you, they'll all end as Meliorn has." He motioned to the corpse with his bow. The Queen remarked that it was Alec, not herself, who murdered him.
"Sometimes, we pay for the crimes of others. But, everyone pays, don't they?" Eliza told her. "Now," she pressed the tip of her sword into the cheek of the Queen, "the hostages that Sebastian took. We want them back. Unharmed."
The Queen reported that the hostages were not in the faerie realm. In fact, they were in no land where she carried authority.
"Only one other thing can spare your life." Jace told her. She asked what that could be.
Blood prickled on the spot on the Queen's cheek where Eliza held her sword. "Edom." She drew the sword away. The movement was slow enough that as she did it, a long cut appeared on the Queen's cheek. "Grant us safe passage on the road to Edom."
The Seelie Queen smiled back at her. She relaxed, even though Jace's sword was still pointed at her heart. A thin trail of blood trickled down the Queen's cheek. "I shall lead you to the path into the demon realm of Edom." Jace stepped back and allowed the Queen room for movement. She stood up and gathered the sides of her dress into her hands. "Come." She beckoned them as she walked across the room to the dark tunnel.
Jace and Eliza followed behind the Queen; Alec and Isabelle behind them; Clary and Simon behind them.
"You should let me kill her once she shows us the way." Eliza muttered. "It's only fair."
Jace shook his head slowly. "We said we would spare her life."
Eliza shrugged. "You and Alec said that. I never made such a promise." She sheathed her sword and cracked her knuckles. "Meliorn's life isn't enough of a payment, Jace. She betrayed the Clave and in that, endangered the lives of my mom, Luke, and Magnus." He raised his eyebows. "Fine. Raphael too." She still hadn't fully forgiven him for ruining her sweet neck.
"She'll pay." He promised. "Maybe not right now, but she'll face the consequences."
That was the last they spoke of it. They continued down the tunnel, keeping a close distance to the Queen. After a few minutes, Jace clasped his hand around hers.
The rest of the thirty-minute journey down the tunnel was spent in silence. The way was dark and the lack of noise encompassing. It felt all too much like the caverns under the valley in Idris. Jace and Eliza struggling to make good time to find Sebastian and end him. The culmination of all her lies coming to a boil as he forced the truth on Jace.
"We are here." The Queen announced suddenly as they entered a larger room that held a little more light than the tunnel. "Guess the correct road and you shall pass through."
The walls of the cave shone, illuminating three pathways.
The path right in front of them was smoothed down and cleared away. The path to the right was dark, narrow, and lined with bushes of thorns. The left-most path was bright, leaves and flowers all around. At the end, she swore she saw a blue sky.
Eliza let go of Jace. She stepped around the Queen. Blood pounded in her ears, heart hammering in her chest. She could feel it calling out to her. The strange promise of a home she didn't know. One she had only seen in nightmares.
"Liz?" Clary called out.
She couldn't bring herself to turn back. Her arm extended, fingers reaching towards the path that lay directly ahead of her.
She heard Alec's unamused laughter. "You've brought us to the Three Roads." He remarked. "Did you think Shadowhunters weren't aware of your tricks and secrets?" He explained the tale of old Thomas the Rhymer, a man kidnapped by the Seelie Queen. The Queen placed him before the Three Roads. Each led a different place. Heaven, Hell, and Faerieland. Alec said that the narrowest path led to the mundane world, the righteous path. Heaven, the Seelie Queen said bitterly.
"Which would be how Sebastian and his hidden forces attacked the Adamant Citadel. They weren't trackable down here." Jace hissed. "You hid the Endarkened here and allowed them to pass as they were needed. You're the reason many Shadowhunters lost their lives." He spat at the Queen.
"Tis the way of mortals to die." She sighed, sounding almost bored.
Alec said the flowered tunnel led deeper into the faerie realm.
"We go this way." Eliza stood resolutely in front of the middle tunnel. "This is the road to hell."
Simon swallowed. "They say it's paved with good intentions."
"And bad ones." Isabelle muttered.
Jace shoved the tip of his seraph blade into the Queen's back. One of the crystals fell off her dress. "We should kill you. To keep you from warning Sebastian that we're coming."
"Let me do it, then." Eliza unsheathed her sword. She steadied it, holding it level to the Queen's chest. "I really don't like you."
The Queen pressed her mouth into a thin line. "That will not stop my people from alerting him of your impending arrival." She warned them. "Unless you murder me and all my people, you cannot evade his knowledge of your coming."
Jace and Eliza made eye contact. The light of the seraph blade reflected on his face. She could see the fiery flames licking through his veins. In the light, his cheekbones were sharpened, his hair golden.
"Make the call." Eliza told him quietly. Around them, the others had made the same choice.
"Now, child, we all know you haven't the heart for killing." The Queen chided Jace. "You've always been Valentine's sweeter, softer child." At that, she glanced back at Clary and then her gaze landed on Eliza. "But you, I was correct about you, wasn't I?" Eliza asked what she meant. "The darkness inside you. I see it now in your eyes. You truly are a child of the demons."
Her hand wavered. The corner of her mouth twitched.
"You have to swear you won't warn Sebastian that we're coming." Jace said quickly. "Your court cannot be allowed to do the same. Swear and you'll live." The Queen swore that neither she nor anyone in her court would pass word or deed of their mission to find Sebastian. He would never know they had been in the fey realm. Jace lowered his blade and motioned for Eliza to do the same. She stepped back, closer to the path that led to Edom. "You may believe that our journey to Edom will result in our deaths, but we don't die so easily. We will win and when we do, you and your people will pay with blood for your betrayal."
Slowly, the Queen's smile fell apart. "Perhaps you will not die, my angel-faced Nephilim. Perhaps all of you will. Yet, I know for a fact that you," her glowering eyes landed on Eliza, "shall not pass back through Edom. He will not allow it. For if he dies, so shall you."
Eliza steeled herself. She put her sword away. "He's been promising to kill me for years now. Forgive me if I don't heed your warning." Promptly, she turned and started down the road to Edom, blood singing as she went.