Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series or any of the characters. Cassandra Clare is the master mind behind the trilogy and we thank her for creating an awesome fantasy world as well as unforgettable characters.
City of Jewels
--- 3. The Lost City ---
White frost glazed over the tips of the grass, the color of pinkish orange washed over the clouds, the sun peeping out and dawn had come.
Clary made her way back to her apartment; she thought Jace had lost his mind. Valentine is dead she reminded herself, how could he have put a spell on me? She remembered that Simon was still at her apartment and gave it a miss.
She didn't want to see anyone in her state of mind so she made her way to Taki's. This was Jace's favorite place to eat; she hadn't eaten in days and she wondered how she had the energy to even walk there.
Kaelie the familiar waitress greeted her at the entrance and seated her at the same table she always sat with Jace.
"The usual please?" Clary asked like a regular customer would.
She had been coming to this place for a while now because Isabelle's cooking only got worst by the day and Clary couldn't be bothered learning how to cook, after all she spent her time eating her mother's home cooked meals.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and the screen read Jace calling. Clary rolled her eyes and flipped her phone open.
"What is it Jace?" She answered.
"Clary where are you?" The voice said on the other side.
"I'm alright, I'm at Taki's." Clary told him.
"I'll be right over," Jace said and hung up the phone.
"Great!" Clary muttered as she shut her phone.
Jace appeared a few moments later with Simon right behind him. They stood at the side of the table where Clary was sitting. "Great just the people I've been dying to see," Clary said. Her sarcasm was a bit cold and she put her head back down into her food.
Kaelie made her way over to the table and smiled at Jace. Clary was used to him flirting with the waitress after all Jace did date her once so she ignored it anyway. Jace ordered a chocolate milkshake for himself and blood for Simon.
Clary didn't look up as she picked at her food; she suddenly lost her appetite the minute they sat down.
"I went to your apartment to find you but you weren't there. I ran into Simon instead and good thing I did, he told me what you asked him to do. Clary, what were you thinking?" Jace said with a hint of anger.
Clary was taken aback. How could her best friend do that? Her expression looked like she had just been betrayed and now she felt like she was getting interrogated all of a sudden. Clary raised her head out of her food and rested them on Simon. Her expression filled with rage. She was speechless; she didn't know what to say to that, she just froze.
"He was worried about you and so am I." Jace finished. His eyes rested on Simon then back to Clary.
"Clary I'm sorry, I had to tell him." Simon spoke for the first time.
"Well there's nothing for you to be worried about, I'm fine!" Clary managed to say as she pushed her plate aside.
"See that's the problem you keep saying you're fine and I know you, you're not just fine Clary," Jace said with a worried expression on his face.
"Right because you know everything," Clary said with a slight cold sarcasm to her tone.
"There you go again twisting everything around," Jace said accusingly as if he were annoyed with her.
"So what do you want me to say?" Clary asked with a bitter tone to her voice.
"I don't know," Jace paused and then reached out for Clary's hands and held them firmly, "but it feels like you're pushing me away and I don't want to lose you" Jace finished.
Clary brushed his hands off hers and said "Well I'm not, I just need to get away, and I need to go to Idris." Clary said.
"Clary, would you just listen to him for a second please?" Simon asked.
Clary shot him an evil look and said "You, stay out of it vampire!" Clary demanded. "How could you, I trusted you, and you betrayed me" Clary protested.
Simon's mouth was about to open but then thought better of it and lowered his head.
"Clary, it's not his fault" Jace reminded her and then he asked "Clary, what's in Idris?"
"I don't know but I'm going there tonight" Clary said.
"No it's dangerous I told you that!" Jace hissed as he slammed his fist down on the table.
"Not this again, stop trying to protect me, I can take care of myself." Clary voice was sharp.
"No you can't Clary!" Jace shouted in an angry tone.
"Well I'm going with or without you and you can't stop me" Clary said as a matter of fact.
Jace's eyes went wide, she meant every word she said and he couldn't let her make the biggest mistake of her life, he had to do something.
"Fine if that's what you want," Jace calmed his tone still looking towards Clary then he finished, "but you have to get past me first."
Clary was shocked did Jace just threaten her? Was he willing to fight her just to stop her from going to Idris? Clary couldn't hide the anger that lingered on her face.
"Was that a threat?" Clary demanded.
"Call it what you want, but I will do anything to stop you" Jace said with a matter of fact.
The color of Clary's cheeks faded to pale white, he's going to fight me on this, she thought.
Clary's rage flushed up into her face once again but she said nothing.
"Kill him!" a voice told her.
She was startled by the voice in her head, was that her conscious talking or someone else? She heard it again
"Kill him now!"
Their conversation was interrupted with what sounded like a big explosion in the background and the doors of the restaurant busted open shattering the rest of the entrance to pieces.
The entrance of the restaurant looked like a bull dozer rammed into it leaving half of it still standing. A big black figure stood at the foot of the ruins with liquid green acid dripping from the corner of its mouth.
It spat out the remaining of what looked like a bloody cloth. Clary realized that it hadn't been a cloth but it was an apron, the same apron that the waitress wore a moment ago, it belonged to Kaelie. Clary gasped in surprise and held her hand to cover her mouth.
Kaelie had been eaten whole right in front of her. Jace slipped out of his seat and stood on top of the table,
"Simon get under the table!" Jace yelled as he threw Clary one of his steles.
He seized his other seraph blade in the air naming it Lurieth and darted towards the figure standing at the door slicing his weapon across its chest and black ichors splattered to the floor.
he figure was still standing in his view and Jace had to strike again. There were more of them piling in to the restaurant or what was left of the restaurant and Clary was next to Jace.
She raised her seraph blade and named it Armidelle as she sliced one of the creatures on the head and it fell to the ground in one hit. Jace looked impressed and smiled at Clary, a moment later another came behind Clary and Jace's eyes expanded blazing like an open flame.
Before Jace could warn her Clary twisted like a tornado slicing it across the neck, a gust of wind swiped Jace's face as she landed in a crouching position. She looked like a tiger crouching for her prey, her hair falling over to one side of her face flowing out over her shoulders; her hair had gotten longer over the years, her mouth slightly grinning.
The creature fell toward the ground in little pieces with black ichors splattering all over the restaurant. Jace looked bewildered; she looks like a professional Jace thought.
Clary pounced on the back of another one stabbing her sword through his spine and it collapsed to the floor.
She pointed the sword toward another creature and it disappeared through its chest. Jace stood there baffled, Clary had done all the work and all he could do was gaze at her with amazement.
He wondered where she got her training from. Jace had only taught her the basics but this was extraordinary. It would have taken a shadow hunter over 5 years to learn those special techniques, especially a learner like Clary.
Jace stood there staring at Clary as if he were going to say something but he didn't. Clary paced toward Jace slowly like a cat, anyone would think she was on a model runway. Jace couldn't erase the thought that Clary looked like a tiger creeping up on its prey and in one silent movement Clary disappeared and suddenly she was standing behind Jace with her blade pointed toward the nape of his neck.
She held the weapon steady tracing it down the hollow crease between his shoulder blades and rested it on the left side of his back where one would do if you intended it to pierce right through your heart.
"Drop your weapon!" she hissed
Jace froze in his place; he hesitated for awhile then obeyed and dropped his weapon on the floor making a loud pang as it kissed the floor. Slowly he raised both of his hands in the air, like one would do if they were getting arrested.
"Clary what are you doing?" Jace spoke slow and emphasized each word.
"What I should have done before" Clary said.
"Clary put it down!" Simon said as he crawled out from under the table.
"Shut up Simon!" Clary shouted.
"What are you going to do kill me?" Jace hissed.
"Don't tempt me!" Clary made an angry retort.
"Clary you don't mean that put it down, please" Simon said in a desperate plea.
"I said shut up Simon!" Clary yelled.
"Clary, it's the spell, this isn't you. Clary, snap out of it!" Jace interrupted
Clary placed her free hand on Jace's shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"You know a little birdie showed me a place on your back where I can pierce the heart and spine all at once." Clary's voice was low and evil as she pushed the knife in harder against his back.
Jace tensed as she cut into a bit of his skin leaving the tip of the knife stained with the color of scarlet. Jace thought this sounded like Valentine's methods. Valentine had taught Jonathan and Jace this method, but how would Clary know how to do that, maybe she was bluffing Jace thought and then he finally spoke.
"You wouldn't happen to know the name of the bird?" Jace teased while hiding his smile on his face.
"Why do you ask?" Clary said in an angry tone.
"So I can kill it!" Jace finally said as he slipped his foot under the sword lying on the ground and kicked it up into his left hand.
It all happened so fast that Clary's vision was blurred and all of a sudden Jace was facing her with his sword kissing the side of her neck.
"I said snap out of it Clary!" Jace demanded as they both lowered their swords.
"Fine have it your way!" Clary said as she sliced the sword toward Jace's face but he blocked and then they were going at it like wild cats.
Like a lion and tiger fighting for their territory missing each other by inches, cutting bits of thread off each others clothes. Jace defending himself more than fighting against her but she wouldn't give up.
Then Jace tackled her to the ground knocking the seraph blade out of her hand and gripped her by her wrists above her head slamming them on the floor to stop her from hurting him or herself for that matter.
"Get off me!" Clary hissed while she struggled to get her hands free but Jace was too strong.
"Not until you stop acting like this!" Jace growled.
"Like what?!" Clary asked her face flushed with rage.
"Like your father!" Jace finally stated.
Clary froze, she was mortified to hear those words, was he talking about Valentine? She thought, am I really like him? Clary settled and lay there like a lifeless corpse.
She didn't want to fight anymore, Jace just told her the one thing that she had been avoiding since she found out who her real father was. Clary could feel his grip loosen and he stared at her. Water clouded her eyes; no I'm not going to cry she thought so she held them back.
Her anger flushed back to her face and her voice started shaking.
"Get off me Jace" Clary said hiding the sadness in her tone. Jace released her and rolled over on his side leaning on his elbows.
"I'm nothing like my father" Clary whispered without looking at him and disappeared in to the darkness.
--- 0o0o0o0o0o ---
Clary raced into the streets of Brooklyn, her heart pounding as if it were trying to escape her chest.
She arrived at her apartment and slammed the door behind her. She sat in the middle of the floor crying with the drapes pulled shut. Simon had left his wallet on the sofa so she knew he'll be back later.
She didn't have time to waste, she was thinking of a plan to get to Idris and somehow she can get there without The Clave finding out.
She flipped her stele idly in her hands and she thought of the last visit she had with Jace at the restaurant and how he told her she was acting like her father.
Valentine Morgenstern, the evil antagonist whose insanity took over and now she shared the same blood pumping through her veins and she couldn't stop thinking that one day she might end up like him.
She found herself tracing the stele absently burning a black ink stain into the floor boards. Her imagination running wild she created a rune like no other.
She didn't know what the rune was called; it was like someone helped her create it and forced her hand to do it.
A moment later the floor boards started shaking. It felt like an earthquake had hit. She raced toward the door but it was bolted shut. The floor gave way, crumbling like black sand dissolving into a black hole.
There were black figures rising out of the floor swooping around the room in a circular motion letting an awful chorus of high pitch groans and evil hissing noises. Clary couldn't believe her eyes; did she just summon a room full of demons? Was that what she created? Clary was shocked how could she have done that? Impossible she thought.
The rune had faded to a white pale color, remembering when Jace had told her that the rune disappears once it is used leaving behind a pale ivory scar. Clary held her stele out as if to get ready to fight, her hand shaking a little.
One of the demons crawled at her feet, to Clary it looked like it was surrendering or bending over like one would do to worship an idol or bow at her feet and all the others followed.
"Master we are at your service" The demon hissed under its breath, before Clary could say something she was interrupted from another,
"We have the Mortal cup like you asked Master" the thing hissed at Clary.
Clary wanted to say something but she was speechless, "Master you have to hurry before it's too late, the portals going to close" It shrieked.
"What portal?" Clary finally spoke with a shaky voice.
The demon pointed toward the black hole.
Clary found herself walking against her will, one more step she thought and she fell disappearing along with the demons as the hole closed up. Clary found herself flipping and spiraling out of control.
She closed her eyes wishing this all will be over as she flung into darkness.
--- 0o0o0o0o0o ---
She hit the ground knocking the breath out of her as she was eaten by the black hole and spat out like a tasteless substance on to the concrete floor.
She rolled on to her back, pain shot up the back of her neck with a stinging motion. Her eyes looking up at what looked like stars, her eyes come in to focus and the room was glowing with colors.
The room she was in looked familiar; she had been here before.
This is what her dreams were trying to show her. She stood up slowly trying to steady herself dusting off the soil that rested on her clothes. She gazed around with amazement.
It was beautiful like a hidden jewelry store. Diamonds rested in the smalls of the rocks shimmering like sapphire stones. Gems hiding behind shards of cement glowing like colorful ice.
It was a cave filled with crystal stones placed around the whole entire rock face. It reminded her of the way she used to sit on top of Simon's roof at night and stare at the stars on a clear night. She traced her fingers over the walls of the cave as if to make sure that it was real.
Clary noticed something else resting in the corner of the cave.
Clary made her way gingerly toward the object sitting on what looked like an altar.
It was the Mortal Cup, so this is where they hid the mortal cup she thought. She traced her fingers around the cup. It smelt of rust and metal. Clary peered in to the cup and what looked like thick scarlet liquid sat at the bottom. Clary realized it was blood.
She wrinkled her nose at the smell, "disgusting" she murmured.
A loud shriek came from behind her and it startled her. Clary turned around and the room was filled with the same demons that were circling around in her apartment.
"Where am I?" she asked
"You're in Idris" the demon hissed.
"This doesn't look like Idris," Clary said.
"That is because we are beneath it" the demon hissed
"So this is under the City?" Clary asked
"Yes, the Hall of Accords is sitting right on top of us" the demon hissed as it pointed upwards.
"If I'm here with all of you in the Glass City, then the wards must be down" Clary said
"No, the wards don't protect this part of the city, this is our dimension." The demon shrieked as if to prove her wrong.
"This is your dimension? But this doesn't look like hell, it's beautiful." Clary said with amazement.
"That's because it isn't, it's The City of Jewels" the demon hissed.
Clary took a moment to absorb it all in. This was the City she had seen in her dreams, a lost city and no one knew that it existed. The room fell quiet. The demons disappeared into the rock faces and Clary was alone.
"Hide away, the new Inquisitor is coming" the demon hissed.
Clary froze, so someone did know about this place and it had to be an evil Inquisitor. Clary found herself remembering the times when both of the last Inquisitors were corrupt and how they were against The Clave.
This one would probably be the same or even worst. She could hear a faint noise of what sounded like footsteps. The paces slow creeping towards her. Clary panicked; she created a glamour hiding her image behind a clear glass.
Clary could see out of it but no one could see her, it would look like as if she slipped behind a big thick rock just on the side of where the altar held the mortal cup.
The Inquisitor approached the altar.
Clary could see a tall slender figure wearing a long red velvet cape flowing down to her feet; she could tell that it had to be a woman the way her high heels peeked out from under the cape.
Clary gazed at the figure in front of her; she couldn't see her face because it was hidden in the darkness of her hood.
The Inquisitor raised her pale fingers up toward her face and brushed the hood off her head making her face come into view.
Clary gasped in surprise then covered her mouth. She was horrified at the figure standing before her; Clary's eyes were wide as if they were about to pop out in front of her. Maryse Lightwood is the new inquisitor? She thought.
A/N:
"Holy shit! Izzy's gonna freak when she finds out!" Jace exclaimed.
Clary nodded, "I know! Where is she anyway?" She asks.
Jace shrugged. "Probably putting on her face," he said a little bored.
"So it's just you and me?" Clary asked sheepishly.
Jace wagged his eyebrows, "Yeah, do you want to give the audience something to see?"
"Whoa! Please don't suck each others faces, people are trying to read!" Author says.