Here it is! The LAST chapter.
FluffyFluffLover (Guest): Yeah, penultimate means second last! And don't worry, I had the same thought as I was writing it!
kmcgr125: Thank you so much! Your review was the one of the most uplifting I've ever had. I'll make sure to check out your story.
liveandbreathediangelo: I live for it ;). Thanks! Your reviews are pure awesome.
Here we go... make sure to let me know what you thought!
Sebastian's chest rose and fell evenly in the near-darkness, the sheets settled neatly about him. But Jace couldn't care less about the way he slept. He was completely focused on the luminous stele that lay next to his bed.
Clary's light touch seared into him. He couldn't believe he hadn't remembered her. At least the sight of all of them inspired some confusion and gave Clary the gap she needed to break him out of the fog that surrounded him.
Is it there? She mouthed. He nodded slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief, her soft breath running lightly over Jace's arm.
Without a stele, they could be stuck there forever. It was a risk to create a Portal, but it far outweighed being stuck.
Pushing the door open slightly more, he glanced around the room. The weapons lying about seemed innocent, bathed in low moonlight. And they were, until they were turned into instruments of torture under Sebastian's hands. A simple sword, made to protect and ward off evil, could be turned into a means of corrupt actions.
He muted his footsteps as much as he could without the aid of a Soundless rune. Pushing down a wave of frustration as he heard his light footfalls, he picked his way across the room, in between weapons with deadly blades that glowed dully in the low light.
Sebastian rolled over onto his other side, facing Jace. Even in sleep, his mouth held a faint, cruel grin, and his sharp face was haughty. Jace heard Clary's breath stutter over by the door and her quick step forward. She ignored his warning glance and lightly hopped across the room to him.
Then, past him.
She plucked the stele from the nightstand, just avoiding the katana resting beside it. Jace winced. He was surprised Clary had agreed to let him to be the one to retrieve the stele in the first place, but he should have known that at the first sign of trouble, she would disregard previous words and throw herself right into the mix. He would do the same for her.
Together, moved as quickly as possible without sacrificing the quiet that was vital to their escape. Jace's shoulders were tense, as he expected a knife to the back at any moment. Sebastian could wake up, and it would be seconds before they were either injured or dead.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the door. Clary's pupils were enormous, the black swallowing almost all of their bright green. They both looked down at the stele.
Clary traced a few runes onto her arms, the black lines undeniable swirling commands against her pale skin. Jace held his arms out for the same, and he felt strength pouring into him like never before. She was putting everything she had into these runes.
The slight burn went still. Clary slipped her small hand into his and set off down the hall, towards the place they'd last seen the others.
Hope rose in his chest, and he felt lighter than he had in weeks. They had everything they needed, and now it was just a matter of getting everyone together.
"Time to get out of here." He murmured.
Clary gave him a grin. There was something new in her eyes, a spark that had promptly died when he pressed a knife up against her throat. He shivered. Apology after apology had spilled out of his mouth before Clary told him to shut up.
She knew why he'd done it, and she didn't care. It's in the past, she'd said. But the memory of that emptiness floated and spun in his mind, unable to shake the recollection.
"Jace," Clary whispered urgently. "We're here. Get ready."
She pressed the stele against the door, quickly carving the first of many opening runes. The door swung open, and she rushed inside. Jace shook his head, running after her. Two Endarkened guards blocked her way.
Jace dispatched one with a few strained movements, bile rising in his throat. They weren't human, not anymore, but it didn't make it any easier. Nor did the knowledge that if he didn't, they would raise an alarm and ruin the whole escape.
He swallowed the bitterness, and avoided looking at the dark blood dripping from the blade he'd stolen from the weapons room before going to Sebastian's room. Clary looked similarly pale.
Another opening rune onto the horrific cage.
Jace glanced over his shoulder before slipping in behind Clary. Isabelle caught sight of him, her mouth forming a perfect o. In the few seconds it took her and Alec to digest his appearance, words tumbled out of Clary's mouth, explaining everything. "…we stole weapons, a stele and came straight here." She turned to Jace and started to say something, but Isabelle hurled herself at him, capturing him in a hug. He brushed her hair away from his nose, where it itched and threatened a sneeze.
"I thought about it and decided that leaving you guys here to rot wasn't the smartest thing to do." He pulled away, letting the mask of indifference slip for a few seconds and showing them how sorry he was. Alec nudged him. "Not your fault. You've always been a little thick-headed when it comes being smart."
A choked laugh made its way out of his throat. Simon made a noise of fake incredulousness. "No sarcastic comeback? Are you sure this is really Jace?" he said to Clary.
She grinned at Jace as he glared threateningly at the vampire. "I'll get a Portal ready. We're going to see Magnus."
"You know, somehow, I don't think so."
Jace whipped around. He relaxed slightly as he realized it was just an Endarkened. "My master has been notified. You are to stay until he arrives." With that, more filtered in, joining the single… creature.
Jace flicked a glance at Clary. 'Portal.' He mouthed to her, a flicker of apprehension lighting in his stomach. But it was worthy adrenaline that sharpened his reflexes. Alec and Isabelle were already focused on him, the familiarity of fighting together already hovering between them. He checked Simon. The vampire's fangs had already slid out of his incisors, the needlepoints gleaming in the dark.
Without warning, Jace launched himself at the nearest Endarkened, his blade nicking their arm as they wheeled away. The sounds of toil and metallic ringing filled the room. He slipped easily into the physical exertion of fighting; of feeling the satisfaction of executing perfect attacks flow into his body.
He let himself forget that these people were once fellow Shadowhunters. He drowned out familiar faces with frustration and anger. They needed to get out. And he couldn't help but feel a sick triumph every time an Endarkened sank to the ground, blood staining their already scarlet robes.
Clary cried out, cutting through Jace's haze. He whirled around, seeing her small body against the wall, every line tight with agony. "Clary," He yelled, cutting his way through the crowd to get to her. Simon was doing the same thing, getting to her seconds before Jace. Blood was pouring from an open wound in her leg, mixing with the blood of the Endarkened. Simon pressed his hands against the angry slash, trying to stem the flow. Jace gripped her hand, desperately reaching for any semblance of calm. "Clary- Clary, where's the stele?" Her eyes fluttered half way closed, her skin a sickly white. "Clary-" his voice cracked. "You need to tell me where the stele is." She groaned, struggling to say something. Jace pressed his lips against her forehead in an effort to calm her. To do anything to just relieve the pain even a little. "How does no one have a stele?" He demanded, pulling away and looking around, seeking the telltale glimmer. Anxiety overtook him- he couldn't even see the stele Clary had been using. Distantly, he noticed that all the Endarkened were gone, leaving the others staring helplessly at Clary.
"Jace…" Her voice was a weak rasp. "It's too late."
He avoided looking at the blood- too much blood. No one could lose that much and survive.
But Clary had to live.
Jace scrambled to his feet, pacing agitatedly. Nothing.
"Come and sit with her." Simon said softly. A few red tinged tears slipped down his face, leaving trails of pink behind that looked eerily like fresh scars. He shifted next to her.
Jace sank next to her. It wasn't right. Clary was so strong. Seeing her lying on the floor, so little and fragile, he was reminded of how small she was. She lifted a hand to Jace. He took it immediately, ignoring the burning behind his eyes. "Love you." She mumbled, each word forced. She turned to Simon. "And you." Her eyes shuttered.
Jace had seen death too many times. He knew what it looked like.
"I love you, too." He whispered.
Quiet.
Wave after wave of misery engulfed him. He didn't know how long they sat there. He only knew it had been too, too long after Clary had taken a breath.
Her last breath, a voice sighed in the back of his mind. And it's all your fault, because you couldn't find something as simple as a stele.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He grasped her hand. "I'm sorry."
"Jace."
A hand on his shoulder, drawing him away. "We need to go. Sebastian will be here soon."
"I don't care." Jace shook. "He can do whatever he wants to me. You go."
Alec. Alec's hand on his shoulder, pulling more insistently now.
Grief choked him. Defeat had him by the throat. Anger paralyzed him.
"NO." He howled, screamed, yelled. He pulled away, only slightly surprised when blackness rushed up to meet him.
Alec scrambled to his feet, fumbling an arrow into position, and swung around, scanning the landscape. It looked like pictures he'd seen of the surface of the moon, pitted and ashy, and above was a scorched sky, gray and yellow, cloudless. The sun hung orange and low, a dead cinder. There was no sign of the others.
Fighting down panic, he jogged up the rise of the nearest hill, and down the other side. Relief hit him in a wave. There was a depression between two rises of ash and rock, and crouched in it was Isabelle, struggling to her feet. Alec scrambled down the steep side of the hill and caught her in a one-armed hug.
"Iz," he said.
She made a sound suspiciously like a sniffle and pulled away from him. "I'm all right," she said. There were tear tracks on her face; he wondered what she had seen at first. The wishes of our hearts are weapons that can be used against us.
"Max?" he asked.
She nodded, her eyes bright with unshed tears and anger. Of course Isabelle would be angry. She hated to cry.
"Me too," he said, and then whirled at the sound of a footstep, half-pushing Isabelle behind him.
It was Clary, and beside her, Simon. They both looked shell-shocked.
Isabelle moved out from behind Alec. "You two . . . ?"
"Fine," Simon said. "We . . . saw things. Weird things, at first. But then we were together?" Alec nodded, watching Simon. He wouldn't meet Isabelle's gaze, and Alec wondered what he'd imagined. What were Simon's dreams and desires? Alec had never given it much thought.
He glanced from them to Isabelle. "Where's Jace?"
Clary paled under the dirt on her face. "We thought he'd be with you."
Alec shook his head. "He's all right," he said. "I'd know if he weren't-"
But Clary had already spun back around and was half-running back the way she'd come; after a moment Alec followed her, and so did the others. She scrambled up the rise, and then up another rise. Alec realized she was heading for higher ground, where the view would be better. He could hear her coughing; his own lungs felt coated with ash.
Dead, he thought. Everything in this world is dead and burned to dust. What happened here?
At the top of the hill was a cairn of stones- a circle of smooth rocks, like a dried-out well. Seated on the edge of the cairn was Jace, staring at the ground.
"Jace!" Clary skidded to a halt in front of him, dropped to her knees, and caught at his shoulders. He looked at her blankly. "Jace," she said again, urgently. "Jace, snap out of it. It wasn't real. It was a demon, making us see the things we want. Okay? It's not real."
"I know." He looked up, and Alec felt the look like a blow. Jace looked as if he'd been bleeding out, though he was obviously uninjured.
Alec remembered standing behind Jace, watching Clary bleed out because they couldn't find a stele. The waves of misery that had rolled off Jace, trying desperately to destroy anything they came into contact with.
"None of it was real." He stepped forward, reaching to touch Jace, but his hand fell away as he noticed the change in his expression.
He was staring at Clary, wonder and misery a strange mix on his face. "I'm sorry." He said to her, still sitting on the ground and looking like a child- vulnerable and searching for acceptance.
Clary dropped to the stone in front of him. "Not your fault. And it hardly matters. I'm still here." She stretched her arms out. "See? No harm done."
She leant forward, kissing Jace lightly. Alec felt as though he should turn away. It wasn't wildly passionate, but it made him uncomfortable all the same.
He realized with a start what was causing the embarrassment. Jealously. That everyone had someone to turn to, to comfort, and Magnus and he were in some in-between state.
Alec exhaled. It wasn't worth worrying about. They'd woken up.
Time to find Sebastian.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's done!
Such a bittersweet ending. I really wanted to give them a happy ending, but I'd planned to write this as if it was an extended part of CoHF. Speaking of, there is a highly edited part of when they originally wake up in CoHF in this chapter. I wanted everyone to know that (hopefully) like you just slot this into the real book.
Another question- when Clary was (I don't even want to say it, but...) dying (eek!) did you think she really was, or did you think that she would be fine?
I'm also writing another story. This one's AH and AU. I've never written anything like it, so I hope it turns out well.
Thanks to all of my loyal readers, once again! I couldn't have done it without you.