5. Ambush
The whole night was a whirlwind rush of excitement for Clary beginning with Simon's five-song set that stunned the audience into silence. His lyrics had been wrought with the raw feelings of going through the change and finding himself and on more than one occasion alluded to a special someone. All in all, he came off the stage quite proud of himself receiving more support from the gathered downworlders than they had thought possible. They hung around the Hunter's Moon for a while longer to have a few drinks but when the line of people stopping by the table to see Simon became overwhelming they made a hasty retreat.
When they exited through the side door they had originally entered through Clary was surprised to see small glowing lights dotted around the alleyway, seeming to form a trail for them to follow. On closer inspection, Clary noticed they were actually a small species of fae, which danced around lazily in the air beckoning them onwards. They had followed the trail of fae with an amiable silence between them with Raphael leading the way and Simon following close behind, above them the stars hung brilliantly in the sky, twinkling like precious diamonds in a sea of black velvet. The air around them was brisk and cold but it did nought but propel them onwards, the excitement coursing through them over-riding the body's instinctual need for warmth.
It wasn't long before they found themselves at Central Park, where a huge assortment of vampires, werewolves and fae danced together in a tight circle. The area over their heads sizzled with brightly coloured dust that rained down from no-where and gently powdered the people dancing below in bright colours. A wind and percussion ensemble comprised of several colours of fae played their hauntingly serene and beautiful melodies into the night providing the overall pace for the party. They spent the rest of the night there, picking delicious foods from the offered platter, dancing and generally talking amongst themselves about the past present and future.
When three AM came barrelling past them they bid their farewells to their vampire companions with the promise of Simon stopping by to see them off. It was far later than they intended by the time they traipsed into the institute and the halls were bare and quiet. With little thought of staying up any later, the girls made their way into the bedroom and fell asleep.
"I didn't get to tell him, Clary." The faintest echo of Simon's voice bounced around Clary's mind the next morning. It was a small snippet of a dream she couldn't quite remember and though she tried desperately for several minutes to remember upon waking up to an empty bed she could not. It bothered Clary in ways she could not describe, Simon's pain laced words struck up an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that wasn't eased by their upcoming departure.
She had gone to finish packing immediately, stowing her favourite travel pad and pencil set away in the black sports bag that already held her clothing and the current textbook she was studying. It was another book about runes and though Clary knew she could find a copy in Alicante rather easily she opted to take it with her, it held a sort of sentimental value to her as it was one of the many gifts Luke had given to her in recent weeks.
Finally satisfied that everything she needed was accounted for she promptly zipped the bag up and dressed in tight black jeans and a galaxy t-shirt before stowing her stele in her front pocket. She hoisted the bag up onto her shoulder and wandered out of the room in the direction of the kitchen. When she entered she was surprised to see everyone waiting already. Isabelle gave a small apologetic smile from one side of the table and motioned for Clary to sit in the empty seat next to her. Without a thought, Clary dropped her bag in the corner of the room by the door, grabbed a cold can of soda from the fridge and seated herself beside Isabelle. Across from them sat Jace, whose blonde hair sat in a tousled blonde mess atop his head which matched the sloppy satisfied smirk plastered on his face. Alec beside him smiled unusually brightly, an aura of warmth and happiness exuding from him. The only person currently missing was Luke, though she had expected as much. He would likely appear with Maryse and Magnus when all the preparations were in place.
"Sorry for taking off before you woke up, I forgot to finish packing but it didn't really take me as long as I thought it would." Isabelle smiled, her elbows placed firmly against the table to steady the delicate hands that cupped her chin, slender fingers extending out towards small ears that slightly peeked out from between curtains of her luscious brown hair. Clary smiled and rolled her eyes in response, her nails sliding against the cold wet metal to pry the ring pull up, opening the pan with a pop and subsequent fizz.
She took a moment to have a drink, the cold bubbling liquid soothed the morning burn of her throat nicely before addressing Isabelle with a look of mirth. "You don't need to worry about stuff like that, I understand that you won't be there sometimes," Clary said easily, leaning her back against the hard wood of the chair. Her mind still hummed with the echoes of her prior dream and the faint buzz of what she considered might be a hangover. "So what's got you two so happy then, have a nice night out?" Clary asked, eyeing the two boys with a quirked brow.
"I'm still enjoying my trip to Tokyo and Jace apparently had some fun last night," Alec responded he smiled in a friendly manner though his blue eyes held a hint of fatigue and Clary wondered for a moment if the dark-haired boy had remembered to sleep amidst his adventures.
"Wow Tokyo sounds great, I've always wanted to try a pork cutlet bowl. Hey Jace, did you remember to get a number for the girl?" Clary turned to tease the golden-eyed boy whose grin grew in turn as he leaned casually backwards against his chair.
"Perhaps, perhaps." He returned, taking a sip of bitter back coffee. His eyes revealed nothing and Clary could only wonder if he had.
"You could just ask Magnus you know, he wouldn't mind taking you sometime when we have a vacation." Alec offered, his eyes shining at the thought of revisiting the city of lights.
"That would be amazing I've heard Tokyo is a really nice place and it would be great for us to all get away on a vacation." Isabelle sighed dreamily, her eyes gazing off into the distance as she daydreamed. Clary chortled to herself quietly, watching the brunette's eyes light up with fascination.
"I'm sure if we kill Valentine we'll be able to have time for vacation's," Luke laughed, stepping through the doorway as the door swung open. Behind him Maryse and Magnus stood, each with tight tentative smiles plastered on their faces. It was evident from a glance that the two still had some tension between them though it seemed for the most part that they managed to skirt around whatever problems they had in order to deal with the situations in a mature manner.
"Are we all ready to go?" Clary questioned the excitement within her bubbling over into the deliverance of her words. She could see Maryse's eyes soften, the smiles on her and Magnus's faces relaxing significantly.
"Yes, we're all set to leave now, if everyone has their bags." Maryse replied, her blue eyes passing over each of them before resting fondly on Alec
With a murmur of excitement passing between them as they collected their things and followed their escort down the hallway to the lift. It was a somewhat cramped ride down with everyone's bags filling the extra space and pressing them outward towards the walls. They meandered outside to the courtyard and stopped to place their bags near one of the walls of the Institute on the grey slabbed pavement. There was a thick fog rolling over the expanse of grass that stretched outward, a hint of some obscure scent in the air that Clary couldn't quite place. She could see Simon walking over to them, his eyes on the ground. He walked with a fast pace and sported a mildly disturbed look on his face.
"Something isn't right here," Clary muttered, looking toward Magnus whose cat-like eyes captured her gaze. She could see her concern mirrored in his shining yellow-green eyes, solidifying the horrible feeling forming deep in the depths of her stomach.
"I agree, everyone, be alert," Luke growled, his mouth twitching as his teeth extended into razor sharp points. She could see the tips of his fingers morphing, his nails extending into darkened sharp claws as his chest rumbled.
It happened a split second after, a resounding thud that shattered the unearthly silence that surrounded them. The ground rumbled beneath their feet and sensing an oncoming fight Clary launched herself over to her bag and hastily retrieved her sword, leaving the sheath protruding from the unzipped bag where she left it. When she turned back her family had launched into the mist. She could make out their outlines, as well as the outlines of several large figures alongside them.
"Simon!" Clary called, tearing into the fog with a sense of urgency. An agnormally muscled arm thrust outward, striking her squarely in the temple and knocking her flying with the force the creature exerted. An intense ringing sparked in Clary's ears and she scrambled to right herself again, gripping her sword tightly in her hand. The arm came for her again and she sliced at it ruthlessly, catching a glimpse of a mangled rune emblazoned upon greying flesh. Clary recoiled away from the forsaken, backing away as quickly as she could away from enraged swings.
She could hear voices screaming around her in the fog and she looked around for them desperately, hoping to find the shadow of an ally gliding through the fog around her. Suddenly, her back struck something solid. With her free hand, she reached to touch the material, feeling rough porous brick with her fingertips. A moment later the forsaken launched through the fog causing wisps of mist to swirl around them. Clary darted to the left, allowing the creature's fist to collide with the wall. She took the opening to her advantage and drove the tip of her blade into the back of the forsaken's skull. She felt vomit rise in the back of her throat as crimson blood spilt out and the forsaken fell to the ground limp.
"Clary!" Jace's voice called out through the fog somewhere ahead of her. Without hesitation, Clary rushed into the mist with only her brother's voice to guide her. Within a few minutes, she found him, alarm portrayed clearly on his face. He had Simon thrown over his shoulder haphazardly and was aiming for a brilliant light that shone through the fog. "We have to get to the portal. We have to get Simon to safety, he needs help." Jace ground out, his face stricken with pain and anxiety.
Panick broke out in Clary's mind as she raced toward the light with Jace. In reality, it was only a few moments before they reached the portal though it felt like an eternity.
"Go through, now! I'm following after, Maryse raised an alert for the institute they'll be sending people any minute."
With a final panicked look at Magnus, Clary grabbed Jace's shoulder and stepped into the portal.
The sight that greeted Clary on the other side of the portal was not something that any of her shadowhunter family had been inclined to warn her about. She found herself in a giant hall with ornate pillars spaced evenly down each side of the room, a grand curving stairway arced around the largest gathering of shocked Nephilim that Clary had ever seen. Standing at the forefront of them stood a chubby, balding man whose shining head slowly appeared to be taking the colour of a ripened tomato. Clary felt anxiety flowing through her as her eyes passed over the many unfamiliar faces. Her breathing became more laboured as the aforementioned balding man began to make his way over to them, his grey Inquisitor's robes flapping around him angrily.
"What is the meaning of this!?" He asked with urgency, coming to a stop directly in front of Jace. His sausage-like stubby fingers reached to poke at Simon who lay across Jace's shoulder, bleeding steadily.
"Sir, there was a forsaken attack on the institute as we were leaving and Simon was quite badly injured. It seemed at the time that the best option was to take him through the portal with me." Jace announced, raising his chin indignantly at the shorter man his eyes daring the balding shadowhunter to challenge him.
"Oh of course, of course. He does appear to be quite badly injured doesn't he, he's bleeding everywhere. Well, we'll have to do something about that, you may leave him now." Inquisitor Aldertree replied, staring at Jace with his beady eyes while the blonde-haired boy lowered their injured comrade to the floor. "Penhallow, Dearborn will you please escort the vampire to a suitable room for treatment, we have much to discuss."
Through the crowd, Isabelle and Alec emerged with their youngest brother in tow, an adorable wide smile plastered on his sweet childish features.
"Big brother Jace! Alec says you're in trouble again!" Max practically sang as he launched himself into Jace's waiting arms. Jace threw the boy up into the air easily and caught him before swinging him up so that he could sit upon his shoulders.
Isabelle stepped over to Clary, her pale slender fingers finding Clary's to intertwine in a reassuring gesture. It calmed the anxiety that roared within her significantly. She felt intense gazes on her immediately at the small gesture and was more than happy to allow Isabelle to lead her from the large hall, up the marble staircase and through an open door into a small lounge.
A dark haired boy sat in one of the red upholstered armchairs that arched around the fireplace, which had a small fire spitting away in its depths. His features reminded Clary perfectly of her minds depiction of a typical 'dark prince' though there was something inherently familiar about his features. He barely acknowledged them with a glance as they entered, preferring to keep his eyes glued to the ancient looking book grasped firmly in his hands.
"What's all the commotion now?" A female voice asked from across the room. a black shock of hair poking around another doorway. Her expression was inquisitive but something more guarded flashed in her brown eyes as they surveyed the new occupants. "So you are back then."
Jace moved further into the room, throwing himself down haughtily into the armchair farthest from the dark-haired boy. "Aline, we fucked up."