21

Tale of the Innocent

"This is where we just were!" Isabelle threw her hands up in the air. Jace's eyes flitted across the alleyway where the Dravak demon they'd just killed blood resided.

"Yes, but she has been here," he replied.

"I can feel the warmth of a radiating portal here," Alec said. "She just left."

"Yes, she was just here." Jace turned to who could have said that and saw an aged looking man that he recognized rather well.

"Luke," he said. "You know who was here?"

"You're looking for Leigh-Ann, aren't you?"

All three teenagers looked at each other before looking to Luke and nodding.

"She created a portal and went somewhere."

"Do you think she went to where Raphael told us?" Isabelle asked the two boys.

"There's no telling, but it's our best bet. We have to alert the Clave."

"If you alert the Clave, Leigh-Ann's chances of survival are slim," Luke commented.

"What do you mean by that?" Isabelle spat.

"The Clave knew the secret of her blood."

All three heads snapped up and Jace was the one to speak up. "What?"

"They knew. If you are a member of the Clave or Council, then you for surely know what Leigh-Ann Grace Taylor's blood is and what it's tainted with."

"How the hell would they know that?"

"She lost her memory of what happened that night and was interrogated because of how the demons treated her. They kept her in the Silent City for days when she kept saying she had not known why the demons acted that way. Eventually, they erased that part of the interrogation in her mind when Brother Enoch told them that Leigh-Ann was telling the truth but that she also was tainted with the blood. They feared she'd rebel against them. If you were to alert the Clave of that she went to Stonehenge to see Jonathan Morgenstern, they would automatically order for her to be killed, which seems illogical if they didn't want to get destroyed by her Angels."

"Then how the hell are we supposed to get to her?" Jace demanded. He was fuming that such things were kept from her; that she had to suffer countless hours, no, DAYS, in the cells of the Silent City because of one person who tainted her.

"Do they know how she was tainted?" he then asked. He had not thought of that.

"They say that when she was brought to earth when she was a mere infant; fresh from birth, mind you, an Angel was asked to bring her to earth to complete a ceremony of the newest Angelic creature. But Valentine came across this Angel and killed it, getting ahold of the infant. He was able to do a ceremony on Leigh-Ann before fleeing when the Angels came from the Heavens to her rescue. When they got there, it was too late, and whoever was her father was devastated to have to leave his baby on the earth. She has a block in her mind; one only a Silent Brother could see and even so, she could not remember anything. Her Aunt Christa, however, had sure fire memory of it all and had her mind searched when they kept her in the Silent City as proof that Leigh-Ann truly was becoming a Fallen."

"How would you know all this?" Alec asked. "Why did I not know?"

"I am on the Council for werewolves, Alec. Do not forget that. You have just recently joined the Council. It is no surprise you did not know."
"And they told you all this?" Isabelle asked. "All the Downworlders know this?"

"Only the heads of the Downworlders know; like the Seely Queen or Raphael or, in this case, myself."

"But what about warlocks; how come Magnus didn't know?" Jace asked. Alec shot him a look of death.

"He is not Ragner Fell. Only members of the Council or Clave know the truth of Leigh-Ann Grace. It is sad."

"…We need your help." Isabelle and Alec looked to Jace.

"I will help you to go and find her."

"And we need Magnus, Alec."
"Do you think he'll agree?" Alec hissed.

"Magnus already has met Leigh-Ann and adores her. I'm sure that he's more than willing."

Alec looked taken aback by this statement and his face turned red.

"We can't tell mom," Isabelle said.

"No. She'll just get in trouble."
"…There's not going to be many of us. Are you sure you guys want to go with me to do this?" Jace asked them, seriously.

"You're not going on your own; you're not the only one who cares about Leigh-Ann, Jace," Isabelle replied. Jace's face turned red, but nodded.

"We're all going," Alec said.

"Now we just need to figure out how to get there."

"Magnus," Jace said.

"What can he do to get us there?"

Jace looked over at him. "He helped Leigh-Ann summon Gabriel. If Gabriel recognizes Magnus and me, he might be able to get us to Stonehenge."

"What if this doesn't work, Jace?"

"We'll figure that out when we get there."