Chapter 13: Memories That You Call
Dalton paced around Hypatia's shop impatiently. He had far too many questions-none of which he could ask without tipping the warlock off to their secret agenda. He had known she was involved in the heist, he just didn't think she would be stupid enough to so blatantly display the jewels in her shop. Then again, this was the Downworld, and that simply meant that anything was possible. He moved on to the next shelf, reading the labels as he made his way back to Jaime, curiously observing jars filled with eyeballs of every shape, size and origin.
Jaime held a jar of a dark amber-almost red-liquid in his hands. "Shax demon piss, apparently. Dare you to drink it," he raised the glass with a wink.
Dalton grimaced in response and glanced at the shelf. "Oh look-Ravener shit, too."
Jaime returned the glass to the shelf gently. "Huh. I didn't even know demons had biological functions. Guess I learned something entirely new and useless today."
"That's like, demon biology 101. Did you pay any attention in your demon lessons?" Dalton joked, swatting him lightly on the arm.
"Not even a little bit," Jaime grinned.
"Figures," Dalton laughed, then dropped his voice to a low whisper, shifting his eyes back to the counter. "In other news...I found the missing jewels."
Jaime followed his gaze, eyes widening when he saw what Dalton was talking about. "Wonderful," he said dryly. "We will report back to Kit. But that's not what we are here for."
"I know," Dalton nodded. He was starting to get antsy and agitated. They had been waiting for about twenty minutes, and he wondered how close Ty and Dru were to obtaining what they needed from the Shadowmarket. He had to be patient, but patience was never his strong suit.
The door chimed, drawing their attention away from the shelves and towards a hooded figure. The hair at the nape of Dalton's neck immediately stood on edge, and he knew instinctively that something was not right.
"I'll be with you in a moment," Dalton heard the warlock call from a back room.
The figure, clearly male, by his stature and height, glanced around the shop, but was careful not to show his face. Dalton caught sight of a stubbled jaw, but the hooded robe disguised any other recognizable qualities. Dalton and Jaime separated, communicating with a look that they needed to place themselves strategically around the shop. Dalton pretended to keenly investigate more jars and vials of liquids, but watched out of his peripheral vision as the man approached the counter.
After only a moment, Hypatia emerged from the back room and set eyes upon the newcomer. "You shouldn't be here," she said angrily. Dalton glanced at Jaime, raising an eyebrow in question.
"I'll wait," the stranger grunted in response, earning an exasperated look from the shopkeeper.
"Is everything alright, Hypatia?" Jaime said calmly. Smart, Dalton thought. Jaime was a smooth talker, and the warlock had taken to him when they entered the shop. Dalton kept an eye on the stranger and an ear on the conversation between Jaime and Hypatia.
Hypatia narrowed her eyes at Jaime. "None of your business, Shadowhunter." Dalton noticed a small smirk form on the other man's face, the only discernible feature.
"My apologies, ma'am," Jaime nodded. "How much longer? We really should be getting back to Catarina."
"Yes, yes. Just give me a moment." She disappeared into the back room once again.
Hypatia was nervous. Whoever the hooded man was, she was either afraid of him, or afraid of Dalton and Jaime discovering her connection to him. Maybe both. Yet Dalton couldn't gain any other intel from merely observing him.
Hypatia returned with a bag full of their wares, all but shoving them into Jaime's arms. Jaime dropped a handful of gold coins onto the counter. "Gracias," he said sweetly.
"Don't mention it," she responded. "I mean it. Don't mention this to anyone. I don't want to be known for helping your kind."
"Point taken," Dalton muttered.
"Now get out of my shop, Nephilim."
Dalton followed after Jaime, weaving between the shelves and cases towards the door. The hooded man had situated himself at the counter between them and the exit. Dalton avoided looking at him, but as they passed, Dalton pretended to trip over his own feet, falling unceremoniously into the man. He was no pickpocket like Kit, but he could at least catch the stranger off guard enough to reveal his identity.
"Shit, I'm sorry," Dalton grumbled, feigning innocence.
"Watch it," the man growled, swivelling in place to grip Dalton by the arm. There was nothing recognizable about his voice, and the hood continued to shield his eyes. He was strong. Much stronger than Dalton was, and his grip tightened painfully on his forearm, nails digging into his skin. Dalton noticed that his hands were scarred-more so than was typical for Shadowhunters.
Jaime had turned back, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Dude, he said he was sorry. Let him go."
The man sprung into action, releasing Dalton and twisting Jaime's arm behind his back so fast that Dalton barely had time to blink. The situation was quickly getting out of hand; Dalton caught the bag of supplies before they fell to the ground, and managed to pull his dagger out, slashing at the man's arm.
"ENOUGH!" Hypatia shrieked. Dalton heard her mutter some kind of enchantment, and suddenly everything went dark. When the lights came back on, Jaime and Dalton were outside the shop, and Hypatia and the mysterious man had disappeared.
…
Ty and Dru emerged on the other side of the shop's entrance onto a foggy beach, situated along a large marshy lake. The sky above them cast an eerie blue hue across the land, the sun trying to emerge from the thick mist around them.
"What the-? Ty, where exactly are we?"
Ty glanced over at his sister, but didn't respond immediately. He wasn't angry with her for becoming entranced by the oracle's fortune telling. He was angry with himself for losing sight of her to begin with. She was his responsibility. And he had let her down. He only wished he knew how to tell her that.
He squinted through the haze, taking the available moment to observe their surroundings. "We're in Faerie. Come on," he said, feeling an uncomfortable sense of foreboding. Magnus had not said anything about actually entering faerie. Now they had no way of reaching Magnus if something went wrong.
"What part of Faerie is this?"
He paused a few steps down a sandy hill, swivelling to survey the area. He was more than thankful for his training at the Scholomance, recalling from various readings the only part of faerie that they could possibly have found themselves in.
"Unseelie. Have you heard of the legend of Hy-Brasil?" She shook her head, and he gestured out to the center of the marsh where an island was just barely visible through the mist. "Legend has it that the island shifts between the mortal and faerie realms. My guess is that's where we will find the faerie we are looking for."
"Okay…" she said slowly. Ty could tell she was trying to stay calm for his benefit, but he had been on edge since before they even left the institute. "How do we get there? And how do we get back?"
Ty looked back in the direction they came-the only thing marking where they entered faerie was a stone plinth that seemed out of place on the beach. They didn't have the luxury of the eternidad or Cristina's medallion to protect them from the passage of time or to help them get back to the shadow market. "I don't know," he sighed, half walking, half sliding down the hill.
"Why would Magnus send us here without warning?"
"I don't think he knew this would happen."
"Thank the Angel that Kit is safe at the institute."
Ty nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. As they walked on, a cave materialized from the mist on the opposite side of the lake. Ty didn't believe in coincidences, but he also didn't trust it not to be some kind of faerie trick. He didn't like this. Not one bit.
When they reached the far side of the lake, they descended a slope into the entrance of the cave, a small inlet entering across the chasm from where they stood, lapping gently at the mossy rocks lining the cave. Ty surveyed the cavern cautiously, yet there was nothing out of the ordinary, save for the small boat moored among the rocks.
"I guess that's our way to the island," Dru shrugged.
"It would appear that way. This is faerie, though; anything could happen. Don't let your guard down."
They approached the boat hesitantly, as if expecting some creature to jump out at them. When nothing happened, Ty stepped into the rocking boat lightly-and found himself promptly ejected back onto the ground. He stood up and brushed the dirt from his gear, grimacing at the spots that were now damp.
Dru looked from him to the boat in shock. Ty reached out for her, about to tell her to stop, when she hopped nimbly into the boat-and waited. "Nothing. Guess this faerie boat is particular about it's passengers."
"You are not going to Hy-Brasil alone," he said, understanding her intent and desperately trying to think of a way to convince her otherwise.
Dru hopped back out of the boat quickly, and took Ty's trembling hands in her own, rubbing them in the way Livvy used to. As far as Ty could remember, Dru had never tried to calm him that way, knowing it was a special bond between him and his twin. Yet he found he didn't mind, and the action did soothe his nerves a tiny fraction. He had the fleeting thought that he should let her do it more often.
"Ty, I don't think we have a choice. But you need to fill me in on everything you know about that island." Ty hesitated, glancing frantically between her and the boat. "I can do this, Ty. I can."
"Okay," he said finally, relaying calmly and concisely everything he could remember about the legend of Hy-Brasil.
…..
"Will you stop the incessant pacing?" Magnus snapped. "You are making it impossible to concentrate. And that's saying a lot."
Kit paused for a moment, rolled his eyes at the warlock and resumed his pacing. "You're the one forcing me to stay here."
"On the contrary," he sighed, plopping what looked like a jelly bean into the beaker in front of him. "No one is forcing you to stay here. You could still leave, but you know how Tiberiuis would feel about that, so here you are, placing the blame on everyone else."
Kit ignored the jibe. Every nerve ending in his body tingled uncomfortably with uncertain anticipation as he waited for the others to return.
Thais sat at the end of Magnus' work table, watching with fascinated curiosity as the warlock worked his magic. "What does it feel like?"
"What does what feel like?"
"Your magic. What does it feel like to have magic?" Thais asked, genuinely curious.
Magnus paused what he was doing and leaned against the table, steepling his fingers below his chin. Kit, despite his anger, perked up with interest. "It's sort of like a deep well, one that I can reach into at will. When I use my magic, it feels like a warm flood of energy through my veins." The way he said it reminded Kit of the way someone would talk about taking the first sip from a steaming mug of hot cocoa. "Kind of like electricity...but it's not painful, unless I expend too much. Then it's like pulling acid through my veins."
"You've almost died from using too much," Kit stated.
"Yes. Which is why you are here. And not out there," he gestured to the air.
Kit huffed in response. There were other reasons he wasn't out there, but he knew it did no good to point it out. His safety was important, but so was the safety of the other four out running dangerous missions without him. "Fine. How can I help?"
"I want to try to channel your magic. We don't exactly know how your magical abilities are classified. And I can protect you from using too much, should it happen.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Kit moved around the table and Thais inched closer for a better view.
"Pendant, please."
Kit unclasped his Herondale pendant and tucked it into his jeans pocket for safe keeping. The now familiar thrum of magic amplified in his veins without the necklace to suppress it. He had to admit that Magnus was right about the feeling of warmth, and how too much burned like acid. He had only a vague recollection of the searing pain the first time he blasted his magic on the Imperishable Fields, and if he hadn't passed out the other night, might have experienced it for the second time.
"First thing's first: tell me what you feel right this moment."
"What I feel?"
"Yes. Magic, emotions, what have you," he waved his bejeweled hand carelessly.
"Umm…" Kit wasn't sure how to explain what it felt like. "I suppose I feel the warmth you mentioned, but it's more like a thrum of energy. A vibration, I guess?" he shrugged. "Also angry and annoyed about needing babysitting. A complete shock, I'm sure," he quipped.
Magnus sighed dramatically. "Again, we are not keeping you here against your will. But, since anger seems to be the quickest way into your magical well, this should work to our advantage." He took Kit's hands without warning. The effect was instantaneous-Kit could feel his magic being dragged to the surface, as if connected to a tether that the warlock tugged on. The blue tendrils of light emerged into the palms of his hands, warm and inviting. "Ah, there it is. Good. Now I want you to pull that magic back into you, and then reach into my well."
"Any suggestions on how to do that?" he grumbled, having no idea where to even begin.
"Close your eyes." Kit did as instructed. "You know what your well feels like by now. Reach out with your mind, and feel around with your magic." Kit took a deep breath and did his best to contort his magic into something useful, trying to do what Magnus asked of him.
"I don't know what I'm doing, Magnus."
"You're doing great. Just keep trying."
Kit thought back to his lessons with Tessa, remembering what she had once tried to teach him about using guided imagery. It took some time and concentration, but he managed to conjure a mental image of a rope running between their magical wells, each ending in a bucket. He knew that wasn't what it actually looked like, but it helped to have a visual. He sent a tendril of his magic down the rope, sensing when Magnus let him past the ward in his mind.
"I can feel your magic, Kit. Whatever you are doing, it's working."
Kit smiled in spite of himself. This was more progress than he'd made in months. He let that tendril of magic flow down the rope until it could go no further, when it reached the source of Magnus' strength. He knew he had reached the well, could feel the power surging there like a dormant volcano. He wrapped his magic around it and imagined that he was pulling the bucket up and out-and then the Warlock told him to open his eyes.
"You did it."
Kit breathed a sigh of relief. He had expected to fail miserably, and was filled with a strange sense of elated pride.
"There's only one more thing to do. We draw on each other's powers, combine them into a single source."
Kit didn't even try to hide his anticipation. He closed his eyes once more, sending his magic down the invisible rope, pulling Magnus' magic to the surface. He could feel Magnus doing the same, and opened his eyes wide just as their magic met amidst their clenched palms, swirls of blue and green and yellow dancing in harmony around each other.
Thais stared at them in undisguised wonder, matching Kit's own. "This is incredible."
"When you draw on other power sources, you won't risk depleting your own as quickly," Magnus said quietly. Kit nodded, committing that to memory. "Alright, let's see what we can do together." He released one of Kit's hands, guiding it over the beaker on the table, his free hand resting similarly while their other hands remained clasped tightly.
He began muttering an enchantment. Kit could only pick out a handful of words and phrases-the language must have been based in Latin-but it didn't matter. He was much more focused on the way it felt to combine his fey powers with the warlock's-there was the familiar warmth, but there was also a sort of electricity that flowed between their wells, through their joined hands. He felt stronger than he thought he had ever felt, and suddenly he understood why people killed for power like that.
A shudder ran down his spine at his newfound awareness.
Magnus' enchantment ended, and they released each other's hand, severing the connection.
Kit stared up at Magnus in shock and awe. "Thais is right. That was incredible. And also terrifying."
"Now you know why this must not be taken lightly. You have unique powers, that much is clear."
Kit didn't ask what it meant. It was clear that even Magnus did not fully understand. Instead, he asked, "What sort of spell did we just do?"
"Just a small part of this protection spell. It was just much easier with your assistance."
Kit took a moment to stare at the work table, taking in everything before him. He was still angry that he couldn't be out with the others, but he couldn't deny that it was extremely satisfying to have done something useful with his magic. And he now had a much better sense of the risks he was taking, and why it was so important for him to learn to wield his powers. After a few pensive moments of trying to come to terms with the well of power within him, he grinned at the warlock, "I have to admit, that was pretty wicked."
…..
The small boat glided across the water smoothly, propelled on it's own by some invisible source of magic. Dru glanced around warily. She could barely see the shore or the cave as she drew closer to the island, now appearing much larger than it had from the beach. She shuddered involuntarily, feeling woefully unprepared for her task.
Ty had done his best to prepare her in whatever way he could. She knew he hated sending her on this mission alone. She knew how much it must have pained him to watch her leave, not knowing whether or not she would return. His fears matched her own, yet she knew she could do this-knew she had to do this-for Kit, for Magnus, for her brother, but most importantly, for herself.
Hy-brasil loomed in front of her as the small boat veered to the right, entering a small inlet, much like the one in the cave back on the mainland. She hoped the guardian of the island would make quick work of finding Dru, saving them all the wasted time of searching.
According to the legends Ty had learned about at the Scholomance, Hy-brasil's guardian was a phouka, and a particularly cunning one at that, who lured mortal children to the island. There were other variations of the story claiming the guardian was actually a witch. As far as the legend went, part of the island's magic was that it turned the children into toad-like creatures, bound to the land and unable to leave. It made Dru sick to her stomach to think that those children were the source of the toadstones she needed to bring back to Magnus. It just wasn't right. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and stepped gently out of the boat. Thankfully, the boat remained moored in place, making her feel only slightly reassured that she would be able to return.
The boat had brought her to a small rocky cove. Pulling out her witchlight and casting its light around her, she could quickly tell that the small cave-like structure didn't actually lead anywhere. She put away the witchlight and located a spot to climb up and away from the boat. Her Shadowhunter training made the climb easy, and when she reached the top, the breathlessness she experienced was not from lack of physical fitness. No, her breath caught in her chest at the sight of the mountain in the center of the island, surrounded by thousands of trees of every shape, size and color. The mist she had seen from shore was nowhere to be found, yet when she looked back toward the beach, the mist hung low over the water.
There must have been a glamour on the island, preventing it from appearing as it truly was to any onlookers from the mainland. She had never seen anything quite like it, and desperately wished Ty could have been there to see it for himself.
There were no distinct paths that she could see. Instead, everything appeared to be entirely untouched, as if no living thing had set foot on the island in centuries. A trick, more likely. A feeling of helplessness settled in the pit of her stomach; she had no idea which way to go.
As if spurred by her thoughts, a glowing will-o'-the-wisp appeared in front of her, bouncing lightly in midair. She took a moment to admire it. She knew they existed, but didn't think she would ever see one. Then she remembered Ty's warning that children were lured into the island by a will-o'-the-wisp, and technically she was still a child by mortal standards.
Dru attempted to dodge the wisp and go a different direction, only to find herself surrounded by five more, all shining brightly in different colors. "Lovely," she mumbled to herself, and then followed, realizing that she didn't have a choice but to go wherever they led her. Ty had warned her to mark her path, so they had collected a small pouch of the brightest rocks they could find on the shore. She discreetly reached into her pouch, dropping one to the grassy ground every twenty steps or so, and taking care to memorize any distinct landscape features along the way-boulders, strange features in the trees, a puddle of water. It was an absurdly beautiful place, but she didn't let that distract her.
Every so often she would hear the giggles of children coming from the forest depths around her, yet each time she looked, there was no one there. She shuddered, thinking about the legend of the island once more, and found she was no longer enthralled by the beauty of the island. She wanted nothing more than to be as far from this place as possible, as soon as possible.
The will-o'-the-wisps stopped abruptly at the base of the mountain, forming an illuminated arch on the stone wall. The rock melted away as the last one settled into position, revealing a tunnel into the mountain. If she had any prior misgivings about the island, they were amplified to entirely new heights now.
She glanced back the way she came, checking for the rocks she had dropped to the forest floor. They were still there. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for what she was about to do, and proceeded through the archway.
The moment she entered into the tunnel beyond, the rock wall closed shut behind her, submerging her in darkness. She pulled out her stele to draw a quick night vision rune, and a few other runes for good luck, persuasion, and success, just in case. She waited a few moments for the runes to take effect, and continued on along the tunnel. Stalactites descended from the ceiling, dripping water into colorful puddles. Dru was careful to avoid them, and pulled down her sleeves to protect her skin from any droplets. She would take no unnecessary risks in this place.
The tunnel seemed to wind inward for ages, cutting left and right, uphill and downhill, yet she never saw any other tunnels jutting off from the main one. She felt as if she were being followed, yet every time she turned around to look back the way she came, there was nothing there but the rocky tunnel.
Eventually the tunnel began to widen, and she knew as she approached a brightly lit cavern that she had seen this place before. She stepped out of the dark tunnel, the space opening up into a large cavern that glittered with millions of gemstones. Like a disco ball, she thought, except there was no form of external light anywhere she could see. The gems all seemed to glow from within, casting iridescent rays of light all around her. She wasn't sure whether it was a relief that at least one of the visions from the witch's crystal appeared to be real, or if she should be afraid. She felt a strange mixture of both, as she set eyes upon the figure in the center of the chamber, perched on top of a massive obsidian plinth.
"Drusilla Blackthorn. I have been waiting for you."
…..
Kit rummaged through the kitchen cupboards, determined to find something to eat, which shouldn't have been difficult considering he had gone grocery shopping only days ago. He sighed, opening the fridge for the third time, expecting it to read his mind and make whatever he wanted appear before his eyes. Who was he kidding-it wasn't like there were house elves living in a hidden kitchen in the basement, ready to magically send up food whenever he was hungry.
He closed the door aggravatedly. He wasn't actually hungry-just bored and impatient. He just wanted Ty to get back so he could tell him about the spell he helped Magnus perform. He wanted to see that spark light up on Ty's face, as he jotted down the new information in his journal, trying to decipher what it all meant.
Ty wasn't the only one trying to figure things out, though. Kit didn't know what was wrong, exactly, but between the vial of something Magnus had given him, and Ty's fear that Kit would be in danger because of him, Kit suspected Ty knew more than he was letting on about the price to be paid for half-raising his twin from the dead.
It left him feeling more unsettled. There were too many unknowns with his magic and all the First Heir business. Not only that, but there were still the vigilante murders, which had turned up no more leads, meaning there would be another mutilated Shadowhunter turning up on an institute doorstep and no way of preventing it from happening.
It had only been about two hours since the four of them left to Hypatia's shop and the shadow market. It wasn't an unreasonable amount of time to be gone, but something nagged annoyingly in the back of his mind. He just couldn't pinpoint what, or whether it had to do with Ty or Dalton-or both.
Kit swiped an orange from the fruit basket on the counter and began peeling it. He was about to put a juicy wedge in his mouth when he heard a commotion in the grand entry, and left the remainder of the orange untouched on the counter.
He emerged from the kitchen to find Jaime and Dalton had returned with a brown bag of items from Hypatia's shop, but no sign of Dru and Ty. "Where are the others?" he asked. Jaime gave him a sideways glance and promptly exited to the library to give Magnus the ingredients for the spell without a word.
Jaime was still angry with him, that much was clear. A feeling of exasperation settled over Kit and it was all he could do not to sprint after him and settle the matter. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked to Dalton, who averted his gaze.
"Did I do something else that I'm unaware of?"
Dalton's hazel eyes scanned his face and he sighed. "No. It's nothing. We just had some trouble at Hypatia's."
"What did that bitch do now?" Kit practically growled.
Dalton huffed a laugh, and Kit felt a fraction of relief at the sound. "Surprisingly, she wasn't the problem." Dalton relayed the information about the strange man in the hooded cloak, and Kit had the sinking feeling that the man was the vigilante that Hypatia mentioned. He didn't share his thoughts on the matter, not wanting to worry Dalton with his suspicions, since there was currently no way to prove it.
"I'm just glad you're okay." Kit reached out to take Dalton's hand and pulled him along into the library. "Any other interesting things happen?"
"Oh!" Dalton exclaimed. "Yes. You won't believe it, but sitting in her shop was a display case of jewels."
That caught Kit's attention, but unfortunately amid everything else that had happened, the Hatton Gardens Heist was no longer much of a concern to the London enclave, or the Clave in general. He said as much and Dalton nodded in understanding.
"I haven't heard anything from Dru since I let her know we got what we needed and were headed back," he said abruptly, answering Kit's earlier question. "I'm sure it's nothing," he squeezed Kit's hand reassuringly, seeing the grave look on his face.
Magnus was busy organizing the ingredients when they came up to the table in the library. Jaime had disappeared already to Angel only knew where. Kit decided he would find him later to settle their issue—now was not the time.
To Kit's surprise, it was Dalton who expressed concern to the warlock about not hearing back from Dru and Ty. It didn't escape Kit's notice, though, that Dalton couldn't look Kit in the eyes whenever he said Ty's name.
Magnus pursed his lips in consternation. "It shouldn't be long. But I'll send a fire message just in case."
…..
"How do you know my name?" Dru asked, carefully and discreetly dislodging a dagger from her sleeve and letting it fall into her hand.
"I know all who enter my land," the guardian responded vaguely. She-she was female, as far as Dru could tell, though she couldn't be certain-hopped down from her perch, long silver hair flowing behind her. Her skin seemed to shimmer as if lit from within. She wasn't exactly beautiful, yet Dru found herself enchanted anyway. She realized with a jolt that she was falling for the phouka's tricks, and shook her head to clear it. She took a deep breath and focused on peeling away the glamour, and almost gasped when she saw the guardian's true form.
"You."
Standing before her was the fortune teller from the shadow market, her beady eyes boring into her as if she could see directly into her soul. She supposed the crone could, actually, and did her best to control her thoughts.
"Very clever, nephilim," the faerie confirmed. "Best put that dagger away, for it will do you no good."
Dru glared, but slipped the dagger back into her belt nevertheless. The visions from the crystal ball were engraved in her memories, torturing her with worst case scenarios and driving her need for answers. But she promised Ty that she would get what they came for-a stupid, bloody toadstone.
"And you shall have it," the guardian swooned. "On one condition."
Of course.
"Three small tests, to be precise. One test of strength, one test of courage, and one test of wits." The phouka smiled wickedly. "Do we have a deal?"
What choice did Dru have, really? She scanned her surroundings, trying in vain to come up with a different solution, but there was none. She didn't bother asking what would happen if she failed. She already knew she would be trapped on the island with the other children, unable to leave. No longer human or Nephilim.
She treaded carefully. "Let me get this straight. If I pass all three tests, you will give me the toadstone and I will be free to leave?"
"Yes, unless you have a different proposition for me?" Her eyes gleamed. She already knew what Dru was thinking.
It tore Dru apart to do nothing about the children she knew were bound to the island or to not demand answers for the visions inside that crystal ball, but she had a mission and she couldn't waver for any reason.
"No," she said resolutely.
The guardian hopped back up on her perch in one surprisingly fluid motion. Everything about her was an illusion. Dru didn't know what was or wasn't real. "Then let's begin. Which test would you like first?"
She weighed her options. Courage, strength and wits. Where were Kit and Ty when she needed them most? She tried to feel confident, but faltered.
"Wits. But of course you knew that already."
She didn't bother to deny it. "We begin with a riddle." Dru's heart sank into her stomach. Riddles were not her strength. "I can bring tears to your eyes, resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. I form in an instant, but I last a lifetime. What am I?"
"How many guesses do I get?"
"Hmmm. I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you two guesses."
Dru almost burst into laughter. But she composed herself, acknowledging that two guesses were far better than one. As it was, she had no clue what the answer could possibly be.
"Do I have a time limit?"
The phouka rolled her eyes, what little she had. "No. Enough questions."
Dru paced the room, running the riddle through her head. I can bring tears to your eyes; resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. She thought of a time machine, but it wouldn't be that obvious nor did every part of the riddle fit. I form in an instant but I last a lifetime.
What else could do those things? She had to think outside of the box. She may not have a time limit for answering, but she wasn't protected from the passage of time in faerie, either, which meant she couldn't afford to waste it.
Instinctively, she knew that the answer wasn't an object. It was a faerie riddle, after all, meaning it was probably more of a concept, than anything else. She had an idea, but if she said it and it was wrong, then she only had one more guess left. She watched the guardian's face closely, checking for any tick, or twitch, any hint to whether she was right or wrong. The crone smirked, but all other features remained carefully controlled, giving nothing away. Dru would get nothing out of watching her. She didn't have a choice but to make her first guess.
"Dreams," said Dru.
"Oh, no," she tutted, but some flash of emotion transformed her face, so quickly Dru wasn't even certain she saw it until it was gone. "One more guess. Or do you give up?"
"Not a chance," Dru snapped. Her first guess was close, that was the only explanation for the look the phouka gave her at that moment. Dru turned away, circling the chamber idly, contemplating her first challenge.
Somehow, she found herself thinking back to when she was little and first learning how to wield her daggers. She would get so frustrated because she couldn't hold them right. She remembered her father doing his best to be patient with her when they trained, but patience was never his strong suit, no matter how much he tried. It never bothered her though, because he always pushed her to do better-to be better. It was all she ever wanted to become a strong and capable Shadowhunter like her father.
And then the Dark War happened—her father became Endarkened, and she didn't really understand how it could look and talk like him but not actually be him. She tried to protect Tavvy, but in the end it was Julian who had done the impossible, killing their father. Dru knew she never could have done it, and for a while she could only blame her brother for it, even though there was no other choice.
Some time after they had returned to Los Angeles and things had calmed down as much as they could for the Blackthorns, Dru had finally broken down into tears, and Julian held her securely in his arms. She didn't realize then that he had already become the father they all needed. She had asked him then, how and why it didn't seem to affect him—she knew now that he simply had to keep it together for no other reason than keeping their family together. But she hadn't been able to get the image out of her mind and Julian had told her it was a challenge she needed to overcome—that she was a Shadowhunter. And she was brave.
She didn't know how to do that on her own at eight years old, so each night Julian sat with her and reminded her of all the good memories before the war happened. Slowly, she found she was able to focus on the good moments—like playing at the beach as a family, unruly meals together full of laughter and her father's attempts to control the chaos, following her dad around, pretending to do all the same important business he did. Eventually, those memories were all that mattered, because it kept the father she knew and loved alive in her mind.
She snapped her attention back to the present, realizing her trip down memory lane provided her with the answer she needed.
"Memories," she smirked. "That's the answer."
The guardian pretended to ponder it for a moment, but finally said without even a hint of a smile, "Very good."
Dru suspected she didn't think it was good at all, and watched as her challenger pulled out a small vial of a milky blue liquid. She tossed it unceremoniously, and Dru dove to her left to swipe it from the air before it shattered on the ground. Dru straightened and leveled a glare up at the faerie. "And what am I supposed to do with this?"
"Drink it, of course," she laughed. "Unless you're too afraid."
So this was her test of courage, she thought miserably. She uncorked the small vial and held it to her nose. It smelled sweet-too sweet-and she crinkled up her nose in distaste. "What will it do to me?"
"If you're asking if it will kill you, then no. Anything more and I would be spoiling all the fun."
There were few people that Dru genuinely wanted to kill, but the guardian was one of them. She narrowed her eyes and downed the faerie elixir in one gulp, throwing all caution to the wind and doing her best not to vomit it right back onto the ground. The last thing she saw before the world went black was the mocking grin on her face and malicious glitter in her beady eyes as she flipped a small hourglass over and set it on her stone armrest, the fine grains of sand trickling through the neck to settle in a small pile on the bottom.
A blast woke Dru from her slumber, and she leapt from her bed, grabbing and pulling on gear as she sprinted out into the hall of the London Institute. Thais emerged from her room at the same moment, pulling her long hair up into a pony-tail and holding a dagger between her teeth. Dru tossed her one of her spare seraph blades and headed down the hall behind Thais.
Thais turned abruptly, Dru almost colliding into her as she held out her stele. "Runes."
Thais' parabatai rune peeked out above her vest, and Dru glanced down to see her own, standing out starkly against her white skin. She took the stele and hastily, yet confidently applied the various runes along Thais' arm and shoulder blades. "What's happening?"
"I don't know," Thais said quietly, finishing applying Dru's runes. Yelling and chaos erupted somewhere below them, and they took off towards the sounds, Dru's heart pounding out an erratic rhythm in her chest as the adrenaline took over.
Dru skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs overlooking the grand entry and her heart dropped into her stomach at the scene before her. The chandelier that typically hung from the high ceiling had crashed to the floor, but that wasn't what took her breath away. The massive front doors were toppled inwards-only splinters remaining on the hinges, bent at odd angles as if something had rammed right through.
She didn't know how it was possible, but she knew without a doubt that the wards on the institute were gone.
Kit stood with Ty in the doorway, flanked by the other London enclave members. Dru bolted down the stairs, nearly colliding with Magnus and the New York ennclave as they emerged from a portal in the middle of the hall. Magnus ran to Kit, and she watched in fascination as the two of them combined their magic to create a giant shield. Dru yanked open a bench in the hall, pulling out more daggers, a set of bow and arrows and numerous seraph blades, tossing them to whoever was nearest her.
Dalton swiped the bow and arrows and set up alongside Alec, shooting arrow after arrow into the courtyard. Thais remained at her side as they finally pushed through and emerged onto the front steps. She wasn't surprised to find Hypatia with her band of hooded followers, but behind them, hiding like the cowards they were, stood the Cohort, led by none other than Zara Dearborn.
Hypatia blasted the magical shield repeatedly, somehow managing to ward off any daggers and arrows aimed at her.
"This shield won't hold forever!" she heard Magnus shout. "We need a plan."
Dru glanced around frantically, and gripped Thais' arm as a plan blossomed in her mind. "Behind them. We need to get behind them!" She turned and spotted Clary. She shouldn't be here, Dru thought, seeing her very pregnant belly and feeling a sense of fear and foreboding. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, focusing on her plan. "Clary! We need a portal-" she pointed out the doors and across the street. "No time to explain."
Clary nodded and began to draw the portal rune she created all those years ago. "Go! I'll keep it open as long as I can.
Thais ran across the hall, grabbing Jaime and pulling him to her. Their lips crashed together for a few long moments and then she returned to the portal that was forming in the midst of the chaos. Dru raised her eyebrows at Thais, who simply shrugged sheepishly and straightened her jacket.
They were about to step through the portal when Ty caught her by the arm. "I'm going with you," he said.
"No. Stay with Kit, Ty. Don't let him use too much of his magic." Keep him safe, Dru thought but didn't say to her brother out loud. A panicked look gleamed in his eyes, but he nodded, pulled her into a quick embrace and ran back to Kit's side, taking his hand firmly in his own.
Dru and Thais emerged onto the opposite side of the street behind the Cohort, followed by some of the younger New York enclave members that she didn't know very well. They looked to her for guidance and leadership. She glanced around, then motioned them into a circle around her. They were hidden behind a small copse of trees for the time being, just enough cover to aid in their surprise attack. "You heard Magnus. That magic barrier won't last forever, so we need to take out as many of the Cohort as we can before that happens. There are only five of us, and many of them, so be smart, retreat back through the portal if you have to. And do not let any of them follow you back through, do you hear me?"
They nodded, took out their seraph blades and whispered the names of the angels. "You." Dru grabbed one of them by the elbow. He had a bow slung across his back. "What's your name?"
"Townsend. Elliot," he said.
"Cover us from behind with your arrows. Wait until we get close."
He dipped his head in assent and took cover a few feet away. Dru signaled for the rest to follow her, and she couldn't help but marvel at how stupid the members of the Cohort were for not watching their backside. She recognized a few of them from that time Zara and her lackies took up residence at the LA institute, but the majority were people she had never seen before. She wondered how they were able to recruit so many members, but acknowledged that it didn't really matter. They didn't have access to the Iron Sisters or the Silent Brothers, so whatever weapons they were fighting with consisted of anything they rounded up within Alicante.
Everything happened so fast after that. A girl with blonde hair turned suddenly and yelled, alerting the rest of the gathered Cohort, and in moments it was twenty people against the four of them. The odds weren't great, but there was no organization-no rhyme or reason to their assault. Only chaos. Dru supposed that was one way of doing it.
What she didn't expect though, was that they would have guns. Elliot was firing arrow after arrow from his hiding spot-had taken out a few of them, in fact, but guns were simply much quicker.
"Dru! Watch out!" Thais called, and Dru turned on her heel. The blonde girl was coming directly at her, gun outstretched in front of her chest. Dru ducked low and tackled her to the ground, putting pressure on her wrist so she dropped the gun. She picked it up and hit the girl across the jaw with the butt, knocking her out cold.
She glanced up to see someone heading straight for Thais. She yelled out to warn her, knowing she couldn't make it to her in time. Thais spun just in time, catching the guy's outstretched arm and twisting it behind him painfully. She pushed his weapons out of reach and kicked him in the groin. He wouldn't be moving-let alone fighting-any time soon.
Dru threw her a thumbs up and charged at the next two Shadowhunters sprinting at her. She collided with the first, a girl who couldn't have been more than thirteen. Their seraph blades locked in a dance briefly before Dru pushed her back. She didn't want to hurt the girl, but she had no choice. "It's nothing personal…" Dru muttered, and punched her straight in the nose. The girl doubled over, clutching her face in her hands.
A shot rang out, followed by a scream. Dru whipped around just in time to see Thais crumple to the ground, blood blossoming through the front of her jacket. It only took her a moment to locate the monster who shot her parabatai-the prick still had his gun outstretched in front of him and a smug look on his face. Manuel Villalobos. She screamed and ran straight at him. "That's my parabatai, you worthless piece of shit!"
"Oh, that's real rich coming from you. You and your whole family are a disgrace to our kind. Downworld loving freaks!"
"Right, because we are the ones hiding behind Hypatia and her group of rogue downworlders," she quipped. "Oh wait...that's you."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
"At least you admit that you're desperate," she smirked, stabbing at him with her blade. He dodged it easily and tried to get a shot at her, but she was quick; she had the gun out of his hand in moments and she threw it as far as she could. "Fight me like a real Shadowhunter, you coward!"
Manuel unsheathed his sword, and Dru suddenly felt her weapon choice was inadequate. She sheathed her seraph blade in favor of her daggers. His sword was heavy, which would slow him down. She knew she didn't have much time—she circled around him and he swung his sword impatiently, just as she expected. She dodged the blow and while he was still regaining his stance, stabbed him in the leg. His face contorted with rage, but she didn't give him time to recover, slashing violently at his sword arm. He dropped the weapon and she pushed her blade to his throat.
"I should kill you."
"Do it," he taunted.
"Death would be far too merciful. Remember that," she seethed, stabbing him one more time in the side, carefully and meticulously missing any vital organs, and pushed him to the ground.
"Dru, hurry!" Elliot called for her, kneeling beside Thais.
Dru didn't waste a moment and hoisted Thais into her arms, running headlong through the portal and back into the entryway, dodging bullets the entire way. "Stay with me, Thais. Stay with me," she said desperately. She was only distantly aware of the chaos surrounding her-that Magnus and Kit had dropped their shield and everyone was fighting-but the only thing she could focus on was getting Thais to safety. She darted into the library, laying her parabatai down behind a bookcase. Blood immediately began to pool on the carpet beneath her. There was so much of it-too much. She dug into her pocket for her stele, scrawling healing runes all around the bullet wound.
Every single one of them faded from her skin within moments.
"No. Thais, come on." Dru placed her hands on either side of Thais' face, shaking her from side to side. She could see her eyes moving beneath her lids, but when she put her fingertips to her neck, her pulse was barely there. Panic started to set in, and she traced more iratzes near her heart, near the parabatai rune. "Thais, come on! You can fight this. It's just a stupid bullet wound," her voice cracked on the last word.
Thais' eyes fluttered open, Dru could just barely see her chocolate brown eyes peeking out beneath her lashes. She reached for Dru's hand, the one holding the stele, and held it to her heart. "Dru…"
"Shhhh. Don't waste your strength."
"No... Dru, I can't-" her voice wavered. Dru didn't know what to do. She looked around, searching for something-anything that would help her.
"Tell me what to do," she begged, wadding up her jacket and attempting to staunch the bleeding.
Thais' breathing had turned ragged, wheezing as she drew in each small breath. "Drusilla...Stop."
"NO! No...I won't give up. I can't give up. I can't lose you, Thais. You're my parabatai BFF for life, remember?"
Thais laughed, and it turned into a coughing fit. Blood dribbled down her chin, and Dru wiped it away with her sleeve. Dru didn't even realize she was crying until her tears fell, pooling on top of the balled up leather. Thais lifted a shaky hand to brush away the tears. "Please...Don't cry."
"How…" she sobbed. "How can you ask that of me?"
Thais smiled up at her weakly, her caramel brown hair fanned out behind her head like a halo. "Eu te...amo, Dru," she said softly. "So much."
"Thais…no, hold on. Please," she said, draping her arms over Thais' chest in desperation. Her chest rose beneath her, then fell for the last time. Dru knew it happened because all the air seemed to rush from her lungs, and the place where her parabatai rune was branded on her skin burned. It burned so much that Dru felt like she was dying. She wanted to die. If she didn't have her parabatai, there was nothing else to live for.
"Você me dá asas para voar," she whispered. You give me wings to fly. It was the last thing she said before she passed out, finally succumbing to the pain of the fading parabatai bond.
She awoke in the infirmary, and for a few brief moments that was all she was aware of—until she felt it. The pain in her chest overwhelmed her, nearly taking her breath away.
Her parabatai.
Thais.
She was gone.
Dru clutched at her face, tears falling without reserve down her cheeks. She wanted to rip her hair out. She wanted to scream. She didn't know when she got up and started destroying the infirmary, tearing mattresses from the beds and throwing medical supplies across the room in a rage of grief. She didn't know when she fell to the floor. The noise in her head and the pain of the bond that was no longer there consumed her.
She had no idea when a pair of sturdy arms surrounded her, grounding her until she could breathe again, just barely, but enough.
"Shhh…." he said, stroking her hair gently. "Tranquila, tranquila, por favor. Breathe."
Jaime. "She's gone," she choked out, falling into him and clinging to him desperately.
"I know," he whispered shakily. "I know."
After a few long moments she sat up. She felt so weak. But she glanced around the room at the destruction she caused, and her eyes settled on something that didn't quite belong.
An hourglass.
She scrambled across the floor and swiped it into the palm of her hand. No matter which way she tipped it, the amount of time remained the same. If she had to guess, there were maybe five minutes left.
"Jaime."
"It's just an hourglass. I'm sure someone left it here by accident."
"No. Jaime, you don't understand."
She wasn't sure even she understood what was happening, but a voice nagged in the back of her mind that the hourglass was the key to something important-that somehow none of what had happened was even real. She prayed that she was right and that it wasn't just heartbroken yearnings.
She jumped to her feet, sweeping the room for a heavy object. Next to the door was a small cabinet with a sign for a fire extinguisher, because even Shadowhunters needed to put out fires sometimes. She grabbed it, ignoring the strange look Jaime gave her, set the hourglass on the floor, and brought the bottom edge of the extinguisher down on the glass.
It cracked. The sand slipped out onto the floor-
Dru came to, coughing up blue spittle onto the ground. She scrambled to her feet, looking around the cavern frantically. A cackling sound came from nearby, and Dru finally made sense of what had happened as she laid eyes upon the guardian of Hy-Brasil.
"Oh, bravo," she called down to her, clapping slowly. "I didn't think you were going to make it out before the time ran out."
"What. Was. That," Dru seethed. She knew now that it wasn't real. But it felt real. And the fear and heartbreak remained. Her chest hurt, and she placed her hand where the parabatai rune would have been, fighting to keep the tears at bay.
"Oh that? Just a little drought of fear. And by the looks of it, it worked."
Dru ignored her. "Just tell me what the last challenge is."
Florica-or whatever her name actually was, hopped back down from her perch. "No need. You already proved yourself to me."
Dru gaped at her. "What do you mean?"
"There's a reason I saved the test of strength for last. Most unfortunate souls don't even make it past the riddle. But you...You proved me wrong. Not only did you guess the riddle correctly, but you pushed through your fear to destroy the hourglass, with time to spare even."
Dru tried and failed to wrap her head around what the faerie was saying. "No tricks?"
"No tricks," she said. She reached into a pouch at her hip and pulled out a small brown stone about the size of a walnut, but shinier, and smooth. She handed the toadstone to her, and Dru tucked it safely into her jacket pocket. "You're free to go. My wisps will lead you safely back to the boat."
Dru turned to leave, still trying to regulate her heart rate from the fear draught.
"One last thing." Dru stopped in her tracks, turning back around slowly. "You surprised me, Nephilim. And I am not easily surprised."
"Do you expect me to thank you?"
She smiled wistfully-at least that was the impression Dru got from the look on her face-and said, "You have many questions. You may ask only one, if you wish, and I will answer."
Dru thought about it, turning over everything that happened since leaving the institute with Ty earlier in the evening. It was true-she had many questions. But even though the faerie could not lie, she could still twist the truth. Dru suspected it would only give her more questions.
"No. I don't want anything more from you."
"Suit yourself," the guardian shrugged, disappearing into the shadows at the back of the cavern. "And give Magnus my regards."
Dru hurriedly exited the glittering chamber, doing her best to ignore the whispers in the tunnel and the strange way the forest around the mountain seemed to breathe, is if the mountain was the heart and the forest were the veins, carrying the island's magic to its shores. Just as the guardian said, the will 'o' the wisps led her safely back to the boat, moored amid the rocks where she left it.
She hopped in the boat, eager to leave her fears behind on the dreadful enchanted island.
….
The only thing Kit could do was sit and wait, two things that he was never particularly good at. So he had taken to wandering the halls for the better part of an hour, eventually ending up on the roof of the institute, overlooking the city he now called home.
Everyone else had gone to bed, telling him he should do the same. But there would be no possibility of sleep for him—not until Dru and Ty were back safely.
A prickly feeling came over him. "Boo," said a girly voice from behind.
"Livvy," he breathed. That prickly feeling was his body alerting him to her ghostly presence. You'd think that he would be used to having the Herondale sight by now, but it always seemed to surprise him anyway. He turned to watch her drift to the edge of the roof alongside him, floating cross-legged just above the brick ledge. He could see the London skyline through her spectral body, seeming to illuminate her from within.
Guilt stabbed through him every time he saw her, no matter how much he wished he could feel happy that she was there in some way. Her presence was a constant reminder that there was still a price to pay. Kit didn't know what that price was. He suspected Ty knew something, or at the very least had experienced some side effects, but he hadn't told Kit what they were yet. And Kit hadn't pressed him for answers.
"You wish I had stayed dead, don't you?"
The question startled him, sinking like a paper weight into the pit of his stomach. She said it so candidly, like it was no big deal that she was, in fact, technically dead. He didn't want to think about the fact that her spirit was tied to Ty's own lifeforce.
Kit leaned against the brick half-wall, rubbing at his temples with his index and middle fingers. "That's not it."
"What, then?"
"You weren't supposed to die, Livvy. But you weren't supposed to be brought back from the dead, either."
She was thoughtful for a few long moments. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
He looked at her again-well, through her, technically, and her response nagged at him. The real Livvy-the clever, brave, exuberant Shadowhunter Kit had known-wouldn't have needed to think about that. The risk of death was just part of being a Shadowhunter. Despite all that had happened and the time that had passed, Kit still knew Livvy never would have wanted her twin to use necromancy to bring her back, for any reason. This version of Livvy...it wasn't the girl he used to know.
He pushed the thoughts away for the time being, and changed the subject. "Where do you go? When you're not…" he gestured around him, "...Here?"
"Where all spirits who have unfinished business on this earth go," she said. "The astral plane. 4th dimension. Whatever you wish to call it." She shouldn't have even had unfinished business-she should have been allowed to move on to the next life, but Kit only nodded. He couldn't change the past no matter how badly he wished he could.
"Can you control when you come and go?"
Livvy shifted to lay in a hover across the brick ledge, resting her chin on the back of her hands with her feet kicked up into the air behind her. The action was so much like her that he had to look away. "I have more control over it when Ty is near. When he's away it's...like a phone line that's been disconnected. I can't get through unless he calls for me."
"What brought you here, then, to me?"
"You must have been thinking about him," she shrugged. "That happens, sometimes."
He had been, but he didn't voice his worries out loud. Silence stretched between them again. He wanted to say something, but realized he had no idea what to talk about with this strange, ethereal version of Livvy.
It didn't matter, though, because moments later, Livvy's weightless form shot straight up into the air and hovered twenty feet above him, staring off into the distance.
"Livvy? What-"
"Ty-Ty. Something's wrong."
But before he could even ask her what was happening, she disappeared into the night sky, leaving him alone with nothing but his worst fears.
….