Chapter 13 - A Supernatural Message

I regained consciousness in a brightly lit room. My eyelids were closed, but the light was so bright I could see it through my lids. I heard a low whirring sound that seemed to come from far away. And a low purr that stood out clearly from the other background noises.

I blinked and opened my eyes to find a cat's sparkling eyes. Church. The tomcat had spread across my lap and seemed visibly content. His gray fur shone in the sunlight streaming through the infirmary windows.

"Clary," I heard a familiar voice say. I slowly turned my head to the side and spotted Adam sitting on a chair next to my bed. He seemed visibly relieved, his green eyes staring at me so intensely as if he feared I would otherwise vanish into thin air.

"Adam." My voice sounded oddly hoarse. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and sat up. It sounded like I had spent a long time screaming ... My body automatically ducked as all the memories came flooding back. With a gasp, I grabbed the edge of the bed to keep my balance. My other arm reflexively slid to my stomach, and I doubled over in pain.

"Clary, what's wrong?" Adam had risen from his chair in a second and was now standing next to me, his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch me," I growled, backing away from him as if he were the enemy. Of course, I knew that he wasn't to blame for all this, but I couldn't help it. I wanted no pity, no help, no insincere word from him.

I could tell from his eyes that he was hurt as he slowly withdrew his hand. Only then did I realize that I hardly knew him. How long had I been here? It had all passed in the blink of an eye and the only thing I knew about him was that he was from Toronto and had many siblings. And while he seemed like a nice boy, I hadn't spent much time with him, except for that afternoon in the conservatory. He could have been pretending to me all this time.

Only then did I spot Alec lying on the other bed to my right. His eyes were wide open and it seemed as if he had woken up from a deep sleep because he looked incredibly tired.

"Sorry," I murmured in his direction. "I didn't mean to wake you up." In one smooth movement, I swung my legs off the bed, my back to Adam. Church let out an unhappy meow as he landed like a feather on the ground. He gave me an offended look and ran away.

Alec gave a resigned shrug and sank back into his pillow. As I looked at him, a dark feeling spread through me. If it wasn't for me, this would never have happened to him. And that's exactly what Alec told me yesterday. Everything that happens today will be your fault. I felt my throat tighten and I couldn't breathe anymore. The pressure on my neck reminded me of the day Jonathan had attacked me through the vision in the gym. But this time Jonathan wasn't here. I am alone. Completely alone.

I pressed my lips together and closed my eyes for a moment to not burst into tears. All I could see was my mother lying wide-eyed in her own pool of blood. The image was burned into my brain, and I knew I would never get rid of it.

I wasn't allowed to show weakness. I couldn't lose my temper again. The one time with Jace had been enough. Of all the people in this Institute, he was the last who should have seen me like that. I had let my walls down, even if it was only for a short time. Something like this must never happen again. I was stronger than that. At least that's what I was trying to tell myself at this moment. I had to regain control. Never again.

"You can't go yet," I heard Adam say from afar. "Are you even listening to me?" He was standing right in front of me, his face shadowed by the sun.

"But I'm going," I replied, and my voice was a disaster. Shaky and hoarse, like I hadn't spoken in days. "How long have I been here?"

"One day," Adam replied and he seemed glad that I even responded to him. "The events took place yesterday."

The events. This way he tried to describe the massacre of my father and brother, as well as the murder of my mother, without having to take a stand or judge it himself. As if the most wanted man in the Shadow World hadn't suddenly popped up again after eighteen years. But I didn't say any of those thoughts out loud. Adam tried to wrap me in cotton. I hated that. I grabbed my few belongings from the bedside table, my stele, and my coat, and turned to leave.

"I was specifically told not to leave until you're well." Adam blocked my path and crossed his arms over his chest. He couldn't really be serious about this. I almost laughed if I wasn't so incredibly angry. I felt healed, not dizzy or in pain.

My eyes fixed on his body and I found flaws in his posture. Even if he had pointedly placed himself in front of me, he didn't seem to have had any defensive intentions, otherwise he would have stood there more attentively. I was studying his body in a second like my father had taught me and the next moment I was bending my knees and leaning forward a little.

My next move must have looked like a fall to Adam because he reached out with his hands as if to catch me. I grabbed his forearms with both hands and jumped. He inhaled sharply and for a moment I feared I was going to collide with him. His arms supported me as if they were the wooden pillars of a bar I wanted to move across. I felt his arms tense as I put my full body weight on them. At the same time, I tensed every fiber in my body and straightened up in the air as I arced over him. Just before my feet hit the ground, I let go of his arms so he wouldn't be jerked toward me. The impact sent me through my bones, but I didn't let it show.

"As good as that may have looked," a sharp voice suddenly began to speak. "I have something to say before you go." Isabelle stepped out of the shadows of the door into the room, eyebrows raised at me. A cold grin had crept onto her lips. She looked stunning. Her black hair fell around her shoulders in radiant volume and her tight dark dress seemed to have been made just for her. You could see the beginnings of her muscles underneath and yet it made her look incredibly feminine and mysterious. Silence had fallen on the infirmary, and the pounding of her boots on the hard marble floor cut through it like the loud pounding of a heart.

Isabelle came to a halt in front of Alec's bed, a worried look crossing her face as she watched him. "How are you?"

"Better," Alec replied weakly. "It doesn't matter, I'll be fit again by this afternoon." When I looked at him, I wasn't so sure. His cheeks were glowing red and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. The expression in his eyes spoke of deep tiredness.

But Isabelle just nodded, as if trusting her brother's judgment completely. She gave him a warm smile before turning back to us, her face automatically getting colder. "I was just talking to my mom," she began the conversation. "The Council is calling all active Shadowhunters who are dispensable back to Alicante for a full Council meeting. Also, they specifically requested that you come with us, Clary. The Council wants to meet you."

Actually, I should have imagined that it would come to that sooner or later. Of course, the Council wanted a glimpse of Valentine's daughter. Who knew what they wanted to do to me. I only knew the advice my father had told me. He had always described them as corrupt and misguided. Power hungry and possessive. Valentin had always made me feel like they would do me harm if they got their hands on me.

But of course, I couldn't say any of it out loud. They would think me a traitor, a follower of my father. Apart from that, I didn't even know if what Valentine had told me was really true. So I nodded and watched Adam pace up and down the room.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," he finally said, stopping in the middle of the room, his back to us and his hands on his hips. "In the eyes of the Council, she is a deadly creation of Valentine's, and now that Mellartach is gone, they will believe her even less."

His statement didn't hurt me. I knew he meant no harm, and I was relieved that he was finally speaking plainly. I didn't need special treatment. And he was right. The Council had no reason to believe a word I said.

Isabelle just shrugged. "We have no choice. If we don't bring Clary, it'll look like we're hiding her from the Council. Besides, I don't want to risk my career for her."

I had to laugh at her words. Isabelle gave me a mean look. "How good can you be?" It might come across as arrogant or self-centered, but Isabelle had been treating me like a leper for the past few days. She could say whatever she wanted, but the only truly talented Shadowhunter I'd met was Jace. I had saved her brother from death, I expected a little more respect.

Outwardly, Isabelle was not upset. "We'll be on our way tomorrow as soon as Alec is feeling better," she said in a tone so final that there was no room for argument. And yet I could tell by her clenched jaw that my words had enraged her. She reminded me of Maryse.

I then left the infirmary. What else should I do there? I was fine and in no mood for a serious argument.

For a while I just wandered around the Institute. I didn't know where to go. As I crept silently through the long hallways, I looked at all the high walls with their various paintings. Most featured an image of the Archangel Raziel descending from Lake Lynn with the Mortal Instruments.

Clarissa.

Startled, I turned to look for the person who had called my name. But I was alone in the hallway. I inhaled sharply and got ready for another attack from Jonathan. It had sounded exactly like the one time he had appeared to me in the lucid dream in the training room.

Clarissa.

It was a loud majestic voice. So loud it sent chills down my spine. And yet it had such a lovely tone that I couldn't flinch. I wanted to take a step back, but my legs wouldn't obey me. As if by themselves, they moved in the direction of the voice. I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out of my throat. A moment later I was at the other end of the hallway. On the wall in front of me was an old oil painting with another angel in the middle.

But this time it wasn't Raziel. I had seen this angel before but didn't know where it could have been. He wasn't an archangel. And yet such a strong energy seemed to emanate from him that it took my breath away. For a moment I was mesmerized by the sight of the painting. It felt like something was pushing me here. I couldn't describe that compulsive feeling in my chest. And I couldn't ignore it either, it was like an inner compulsion that left me here.

Clarissa Morgenstern. Daughter of heaven. The future will demand a lot from you.

Then at once, the feeling was gone. The voice in my head was gone, leaving behind a fervent longing I had never felt before. For some time, I just stood in front of the painting, confused and looking at it without really knowing what I was doing here. Then my eyes fell on a small inscription on the lower left edge of the picture. At first, I thought it would be the artist's signature. Ithuriel. I actually knew the name, but he definitely wasn't an artist. He was an angel.

Here I am, after a long long time! Although I doubt there's anybody left out there to read my story, I'm continuing to publish it here! I hope you liked this new chapter! :)

See you soon

Skyllen