Chapter 6

The man in our infirmary fought against his obvious exhaustion, (and likely poisoning) as best he could, aided by the irazte that we had drawn on his skin, and by the medicines (and magics) that Isabelle and Magnus had brought to him. I believe I had said before that he was a Shadowhunter, like us. I knew this not just because of the rune marks on his skin; exposed where his jacket had been torn, or because of his use of our word, 'Parabati' but because of the bone deep stubbornness to stay conscious when any normal mundane, (and even some Downworlders) would have succumbed to the pain and injury long before.

The adults, (and I say that not to mean us, those who had recently reached that magical Clave milestone of eighteen years of survival, but to reference my Mom, Luke, Robert and Maryse) were standing at the periphery of the tableau the rest of us were creating around or near to the hospital bed where we had arranged our guest, dressings in place, pillows cradling the undoubtedly sore muscles and aching wounds. They had said little, but I knew from experience that they were contemplating a great deal more things behind the wrinkled brows and sharp eyes. I didn't want to have to think about what they were considering, but I knew I'd have to, and I knew that someone would have to take control of the situation soon. No disrespect to my Mom or to Maryse (at least not too much), I was pretty certain it would be Robert (most likely) or Luke (a second choice) who would do those honors. And I kind of had the feeling that both those 'leaderships' might not involve us, the next generation of fighters. I was actually a little surprised that Maryse hadn't summoned the whole of the Clave yet; that was her go-to move. Maybe she wasn't so inclined to do so with Robert's presence, considering his current position?

The room was silent except for the labored breathing of our guest and the clicking of the IV pump that Isabelle had set up to help rehydrate the man. (I suppose you can't hear worries and that wringing hands were also pretty quiet). I broke it. Kneeling down by the man I reached out to touch his shoulder.

"What is your name?" I tried to smile though I wasn't sure how convincing I was; hair pulled askew, hands still a little shaky as I recovered the energies I had spent on him, and face obviously worried and covered with far too much make-up thanks to Isabelle.

"I am called Malakhi." Dark brown eyes focused on mine. Their depth was stunning, just as were those of all Shadowhunters, betraying the depths of evil they had taken in, projected outwards with a haunted gleam that never completely subsided.

"And where have you come from Malakhi?"

"Heidelberg." He whispered to me.

"And what brought you to New York?"

Jace knelt down beside me. Without looking up at them, I could feel the others step in just a little more closely to hear that answer. Generally when Shadowhunters came to a new city they presented themselves to the local Institute; not only for shelter but to convey messages and plans, though certainly not for permission to operate. It was more of a courtesy since we were all on the same team; at least I thought that the New York Institute was still on the same team. Perhaps not? I knew the Clave had meted out harsh punishments after the war, deserved or not. An Institute that housed any Shadowhunter of Morgenstern blood, or acquaintance might just have been set aside, officially or not.

It was a moment before Malakhi answered me. I didn't know if he was just exhausted, or if he was weighing how much he should tell us, the denizen's of the New York Institute. But after all, I reasoned (and perhaps he did too) he had come to us for help, and we had given it, he had to see that we weren't the demons that we might have been made out to be. He obviously judged us positively.

"Someone has been attempting to gain access to the Silent City. We wanted to know if similar incursion attempts were happening here." It was the most he had spoken yet in a single breath, and the energy it obviously took resulted in him closing his eyes, and breathing very slowly for a good few heartbeats. Perhaps he was regretting his decision to be so forthright? I chanced to look up at Robert during the pause; he seemed upset and with good reason though he said nothing.

"Can you tell us what you found?" It seemed I had become the group spokesperson, but I guess I was asking the right questions.

"Nothing seemed out of place. Not until I saw Daniel, who was ahead of me, felled by an arrow." My heart tightened at the mention of the name, the sorrow at the core of the voice that spoke it was palpable. "Before I could reach him I felt the fire through my body."

"Did you see who had done this to you both?" I hated prodding, but I knew that we needed those answers.

"I don't know, I didn't see." He shook his head. "I only saw the spear tip at my chest as I pitched forward."

"Thyrsus." Magnus, who was still present in the room with us, mumbled. I turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Well that's what it is." He offered in a 'matter of fact, people get impaled in front of me all the time' voice.

"What's a Thyrsus?" It seemed the logical follow up question to his statement.

"Well," he drew out the word in a maddeningly long sigh. "Traditionally, it was a fennel stalk, topped with a pinecone wielded by the followers of Dionysus. But the truth of the matter is, it is a weapon disguised in plant materials with a hidden metal point, coated in poison."

"And you're saying this man ran into a crazed Maenad in the New York City Marble Cemetery who felt the need to stab him?" Jace was a little less polite than I would have been considering the circumstances. He was more angry than concerned about the breach to 'his' peace in New York City. His nature had always been to care for the world and for the truth of his Shadowhunter oath with his every cell. It still was, which is why he took any threat personally, feeling as if he needed to be better, stronger, faster than anyone else; in some part to soothe his ego, and in another to atone for what he had been made to do when in Sebastian's thrall.

"I'm just telling you what it is Jace." Magnus countered. "Isn't it better to have more information than less?"

"Well who else would carry such a weapon then, besides a Maenad or a Satyr, because I don't think we have too many of those wandering around the Marble Cemetery?"

"Best guess?" Magnus asked.

"Sure." Jace nodded harshly, his golden eyes narrowing.

"A fairy."

Am I allowed to say 'bloody hell' again?

ooOOoo

Maryse had gone an odd shade of pale. Robert was cursing under his breath, and Luke had taken hold of my mom, still intent on protecting her no matter what the threat. For my part I felt a frozen wave envelop me at the mention of the possibility. Jace seemed to stiffen up, but more like he was ready to pounce on something than out of fear.

"It can't be Fairies." Maryse managed to squeak out. "They've all been banished to their own world. They can only emerge for Clave meetings."

The Treaty, and I use that word with all the sarcasm it's due, had indeed enclosed the Fairies in their own underground realm, trying to prevent them coming to the world above to reek any further havoc. They were paying the price of their Queen's allegiance to Sebastian. Truthfully, there might have been some sense to the closed borders, it certainly prevented Fairies from being hunted by those Shadowhunters and Downworlders who had lost loved ones in the war. Even two years hadn't dulled that grudge. And I think it had probably only enhanced the bitterness the Fairies felt against the Clave. But why would they be seeking entrance to the Silent City? And why were they on the surface world anyways? And how? There were so many unanswered questions hanging on that pronouncement.

"We have to go to the cemetery." Jace announced, standing up and surveying all of us, his army.

"We do." I joined him, and not just because I loved and supported him. It was the right decision.

"No, we should inform the Clave of what has happened." Maryse, as predicted, backed down in favor of calling in the troops of the empire.

"We don't even know what did happen Maryse." Robert spoke to his wife, likely aware of the possibility of her spiraling into some kind of hysteria. I don't know if Shadowhunters can suffer from PTSD, but she certainly seemed to be suffering thusly. Though I think she should have been more frightened of the Clave.

"A Shadowhunter was attacked Robert, one killed. The Clave needs to be made aware of that."

"Not until we have had a chance to investigate for ourselves Maryse, and ascertain the truth of the matter. No offense against our guest here, but no one saw fit to share this knowledge with us when they had it. We will collect our own evidence first, before involving anyone else. And we must try to retrieve the body of our fallen comrade before it is discovered by a mundane who involves the police."

I felt a great deal of respect for Robert Lightwood at that moment. He had kept his cool, and analyzed the situation, summing it up quite succinctly. He was quite right that we didn't need the NYPD involved in our matters, and that we needed to get ourselves into the fight; to earn back our lost respect. And he was going to let his family do it.

"Are you up to it?" Robert asked Jace.

"Of course." Jace had never looked so proud.

"Then get going, and I will send a message to the Silent Brothers to watch for you, and the body of this man's Parabati."

"But what about the wedding?" Magnus asked.

I looked down at my ruined dress, and at the ring I had switched to my finger from its gold chain, then up at Jace. At almost the same time we said,

"There'll be time later." Both of us spoke with sighs, and the briefest of sad glances.

"I need ten minutes to change." I told him.

"You have five." He told me with a grin.

I took four.