Hey everyone! So, due to a combination of Christmas, my work and my birthday, I regret to say that I am VERY behind in updating for From the Diary of a Damned Soul, and I'm really sorry. If you read that fiction, I probably won't be able to post it till later in the week. Sorry! Hope everyone has a good holiday!
Battle Cries
Jonathan cut a swath through the demon court, Clary and Jace following in his wake. The demons, who had last seen Clary and Jace when they'd stalked them through the wood for sport, thought Jonathan had brought them back for more play. A few scented the air and licked their lips, their eyes pinioned on Clary or Jace.
"Do hurry up," Jonathan called over his shoulder. "There's so much to do, and we have so little time."
It would help if you called off your demon, Jace thought as one of the demons reached out a bent arm and swiped a few fingers over Jace's sleeve. Clary snapped around like she'd been touched and snarled under her breath at the demon. It hissed and fell back, glowering at Jace. Or, I guess your sister could just do it.
Jace had never stopped to consider the implications of Clary and Jonathan shared blood outside the relationship it had forged between them. He wondered now if maybe Clary had some power over the demons; maybe the demons feared her wrath because of her brother, or maybe they sensed the angel blood in her more than him since Clary so often used her gift. Whatever the reason, it seemed the demons weren't too keen to have Clary angry with them.
"Are you going to tell us where we're going?" Jace asked loudly but Jonathan just chuckled.
"Now, promise you won't get too excited," Jonathan said, as if preparing to give them great news, "but I thought I might actually treat you two to a trip outside the palace walls. Into the city itself."
Clary raised her eyebrows at Jace, who frowned a bit but pushed himself forward so as to speak easier with Jonathan. "What's outside the palace?"
"Nothing," Jonathan sneered. "Hordes and hordes of filthy human spawn who scape at dirt to earn a living. When I am king of this mortal world, I will remove the infestation, and we shall live as gods to the surviving scum. However…at the time, they have their uses."
"More than feeding your hordes?" Jace spat back.
A small smile played on Jonathan's face. "When this war is over, my demons will feed on shadowhunter flesh."
"Not our friends," Jace reminded, thinking of little Max.
"Not your friends, of course." Something about the idea of sparing people for the sake of his oath seemed to annoy Jonathan. The smile slipped and he pouted; he looked like a spoiled prince not getting his desire. "I really don't know what I'll do with them once all this over. Luke and the girl can be my new game hounds, that three headed beast is useless. The Lightwood girl can take Aline's place I suppose; I guess I'll have to get rid of Aline." Jace ground his teeth a bit. "Then there's the two Lightwood boys…I guess I need a page. The warlock can go back to his medical practice."
"Must be so difficult," said Jace, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Trying to figure out what to do with innocent lives."
"You asked to spare Simon Lewis," Jonathan observed. "Do you know who he is?"
"Yes," Jace said at once. "I've had a conversation or two with him." Probably best to leave out the whole vampire thing.
"He loves my sister," Jonathan said conversationally. "He probably was going to ask for her hand in marriage had you not come along. He used to trail after her like a lost puppy, all over the castle and grounds."
Jonathan is just trying to get a rise out of you. "Actually, I did know that. Simon and I have spoken at length about Clary, and he seems to have accepted our marriage."
"And what would you have me do with him?" Jonathan taunted.
"Make him a librarian for all I care," Jace said in an offhand way. "It's Clary's wrath you'll have to deal with if he gets hurt. He's her friend, not mine."
"If you have so little care for him, why even both asking me to save him?" Jonathan pressed, watching Jace's face carefully for some sign of recognition or annoyance. "I could just as easily kill him and tell Clary it was a tragic accident."
"Too late now," Jace shrugged with a blank look. When Jonathan looked ready to press the topic further, Jace cleared his throat and said, "So, why are we going out to meet the people of Idris?"
"To show them just how united our family is in this cause," Jonathan said with his usually sharp smile. "Clary was always good with the people, they liked her, thought she was a sweet, little angel. They will like to see her again."
"And me?" Jace was a little curious.
"And what of you?" Jonathan shot back, but he was chuckling. "You're a pretty boy, aren't you? My father's court seemed to think so, at least. I'm sure the people of Idris will enjoy seeing you, speaking to you, and you had better put on that Herondale charm of yours when we get there."
"I suppose that's the same charm that won your sister?" Jace couldn't help but put the taunt in his voice.
"I would hope not, or all the ladies will be clamoring for you instead of the praising the Great Mother." Jonathan's eyes sparkled with pleasure at the mention of the demoness.
"Tell me, Jonathan," came Clary's sharp voice. "What is to become of me once this war is over? Will I have to convert that that awful following?"
Jonathan looked Clary over curiously. "Do you wish to promise yourself and all the children you and this angel brat bear to her? I you really wish, I'm sure I could have you promoted to become the High Priestess. Would you like that?"
Clary's scowled. "No, I wouldn't. I have no interest in murdering my children, and as I recall, that's part of the job description."
"She wants to save your children," said Jonathan in an oddly empty voice. "She saved me, Clary, and she can do the same for you."
"My children will be of the Angel," Clary murmured and her eyes glanced to Jace. "Jace and I have more angel blood than a normal shadowhunter. Our children will be true Angel children."
Jonathan chuckled. "There will be no need of Angel children when I am through. This world will be freed from the tyranny of the Angel who fears anything that he cannot control."
What is this madness? Clary wondered. "There is no demon who is going to serve the good of these people and you know it. She will destroy everything and-"
"Be silent, Clarissa," Jonathan said, his voice like a whip. "My mother is a good woman and she will serve my interests. You should be grateful, since you and your lover are my interests."
"I will not grateful that some demon is murdering people in my name," Clary growled. "I will not be happy when the world burns around me."
"Then you shall be the most miserable person I know, because I will keep you quite alive and healthy," Jonathan shot back. "You will live long and you will prosper and you will be miserable through it all."
"I shall do no such thing," Clary sniffed, and she took Jace's hand. "I will not bear children in this world."
"My castle with sound with the voices of children," Jonathan warned. "And since you currently have no desire to bear mine, you and Jace shall oblige me and my mother. The world will know that she is the true mother goddess."
I wasn't going to give our father children, so what makes you think I would let my children run around your castle? "I have no plans of bearing children at the moment, and probably won't for many years to come. This place isn't where I want to have my children."
"The Great Mother will have children," Jonathan growled.
"Then she will get them from someone else," Clary sniffed.
Jonathan looked ready to argue the point further, but they had come now to the entrance to the castle grounds and, not far beyond it, the stable. He threw open the doors on his own and marched down the stairs and into the dirt yard. Clary, who had grown up in this place, was used to the dust kicking up around them as they passed over loose gravel, kept soft and muddy by the constant hoof traffic. In the grip of Jonathan and Lilith's endless winter, though, the ground was solid and hard, the mud turned to ice and the air cold and clear.
There was one stable boy standing at attention by the gates to a corral. When he saw Jonathan approaching, he jumped forward, stumbling into a low bow and waiting until Jonathan, Clary and Jace had gone by before standing and following them into the stable. At the end of stalls was a large, black stallion with a single streak of steely grey running down its nose. When Jonathan approached it, the horse tossed back its head and whinnied.
"Steady on there, Charger," Jonathan murmured, and both Jace and Clary were surprised when he placed the flat of his palm on the horse's snout, whispering softly to it. The horse stomped its feet nervously, as if sensing the demons, but under Jonathan gentle coaxing, it relaxed enough for him to get the saddle on. As he worked with the horse, he tossed over his shoulder to the stable boy, "The Herondales will ride Wayfarer today. Get him ready, will you?"
The stable boy leapt into action, leading forward a very handsome stallion that tossed its mane back and forth and eyed Jace with a chilly gaze. "He's very hard-headed for a horse," Jace observed, but he had always enjoyed horses and found that the hard look was rather charming. We're rather alike you and I, aren't we? He smiled wanly at the horse.
"Can't handle him, Jace?" Jonathan sneered, leading out his very large horse. "Would you prefer the old palfrey my mother used to ride?"
In response, Jace took the lead from the stable boy and turned Wayfarer about so he could swing up. Clary came to the side, looking up at him with a slight smile. "Forget something on the ground?"
"Hand, love," Jace smirked, and pulled Clary up a bit ungracefully. "And you thought I forgot?"
"Follow me," Jonathan ordered, and kicked the horse forward, charging past them in loud patter of hooves. Jace prodded Wayfarer gently and the horse obliged, rearing just a little before shooting straight like an arrow after its larger counterpart.
The three of them passed through the courtyard, past a few straggling demons and a pale faced human, and out through the palace gates. As the clattered under the battlements, both Clary and Jace felt the shock of freedom, and wondered if for a moment, they could turn the horse and escape into the forest around the city. It was tempting, so tempting, to run from him, but they both knew that abandoning Jonathan would only exacerbate the grip Lilith had on him. If they treated him like a monster, he would only become more of one.
The well paved road twisted and turned down from the palace toward the sprawling city. On their left was the river, still frozen, and here and there, a few men had carved holes and settled themselves down for fishing. As Jonathan came past, the men stood, took off their caps, and bows very low. When they saw Jace and Clary trailing him, they look confused tipped their heads to Jace and waved their hats to Clary. Jonathan shot Clary a hard look and she waved back half-heartedly; the men smiled, as if her acknowledgement of their lives could somehow make their existence more bearable.
How can you look at me, dressed in silks and gilt and jewels, and like me? There's more on my back than you earn in a season. Still, the faint smiles of pride on the men's face stayed with Clary as they neared the first buildings that marked the city limits.
There were squat, large buildings at first, and outside them, men were cleaning their boots, women pouring out dirty water, and children crouched low in the snow. When they heard the horses' approach, they stood, hands on hips, and looked out as their king came by. As it was on the river, the men bowed low and waved their hats. The women, when they saw Clary, sank into low curtseys, and slapped their children into bows as well.
But those buildings were just the poorest of the homes. Slowly, the buildings stopped stretching out low to earth, but began to grow upward, becoming more narrow. At the bottoms of the apartments were shop fronts with glass windows, frosted with ice, that displayed their goods: gowns or suits with gilt thread and beautiful patterns, books in Latin, French, and English, quills and parchment, cookies and cakes…
The city began to loom over them, and the inhabitants poured forth, waving merrily, bowing, crying out their praise. They like him, Jace thought in horror. Even though he feeds them to his demons, they like him. What dark magic has Lilith worked in this land?
There was no other way to explain it. Lilith must have used her power to twist the minds of the poor and uneducated, turning them into willing servants of Jonathans. Or perhaps it was the release of the demons into the world at large; they could have touched the minds of the humans, confusing them and making them think they adored Jonathan. Whatever the reason, the people of Idris seemed to think of Jonathan as a god.
They were in sight of the town square where a large platform had been erected, and Jonathan gestured Clary and Jace forward. They came to a halt before the platform and Jonathan jumped lightly from the saddle, Jace slipping down and helping Clary off. A few women praised Clary's beauty and Jace's gentlemanliness, and a few men nodded as if this were all right and proper.
"They're bewitched," Clary whispered in Jace's ear.
"All the worse for us. How do you save people who don't want to be saved?" Jace asked back, looking at that happy faces and open smiles. "They will hate the shadowhunters."
"My good people!" Jonathan boomed, lifting his hands high and then bowing low to them all. They clapped and called out his name. "Thank you all for joining me here today. I know how valuable your time is, and I can't begin to express my gratitude for such a favor."
"Bet he can," Clary muttered and Jace smirked.
"I've have come here before you because dark rumors have reached my ears, and they concern you, my friends." Jonathan's eyes looked shadowed. "You have heard, undoubtedly, of the shadowhunters who now stalk this land?" The people hissed and shook their heads; a few mothers clapped their children to their breasts. "They are a foul people, consorting with witches and warlocks, werewolves and vampires, and they have made an unholy alliance with the demons. They have raised an infernal army with which they plan to march on our prosperous land."
Jonathan looked sadly on them all. "Earlier this year, we sought them out, and under the guidance of the Great Mother, we were able to find them and wage war on their hidden city. You may rest assured, my good people, that the city lies in runes."
The city has been in ruins since our father razed years ago, Clary thought, realizing how cunningly Jonathan could lie.
"However, those cowardly shadowhunters fled our forces instead of meeting us bravely in battle. They have hidden themselves below the city, tucked in the safety of their mountain walls and earthen roofs." There were outraged cries of cowards and cheats and a number of other curses, but Jonathan quieted them. "Yes, yes, I know. It is an outrage that they may continue to live, but there was little to be done. Until now.
"I have conversed with the Great Goddess, and my war council has met, and we have decided that now is the time to strike!" This was met with cheering. "I ask you all to help me. To raise an army that will meet these animals in open battle, an army that will prove that we are not afraid of their demons allies."
"Have they forgotten everything of the stories they were told as children?" Clary asked Jace softly. "What of the tales of shadowhunters and our battles against the demons?"
"This is Lilith's magic," Jace answered softly.
"In a month's time, I want an army ready to march," Jonathan was saying. "An army of loyal men who wish to this land returned to its former glory. Because I tell you now, my people, the shadowhunters have used their dark magic, learned by the demons, to curse us to this winter! They wish to starve us, freeze us, turn our own toils against us. They are a curse on this land."
This revelation seemed too much for the masses, who began snarling and howling in rage, almost like wild animals in a frenzy. There was fist shaking and foot stomping and curses being thrown about. Clary had never seen humans act so viciously before, and she drew closer to Jace, who held her tightly.
"We must take back what is ours!" Jonathan cried. "They will not spare any of you, be you a man, woman or child. Ask my sister, my dear, innocent sister, who you all remember as the princess of old. She was taken against her will to the city of demons and was made to live there, a prisoner. Ask her husband, the Duke Herondale, who was like a brother to me before being torn from my protection by a werewolf!" Cries of shock echoed through the city as Jonathan ushered Clary and Jace forward.
"Tell them a pretty tale," Jonathan ordered icily to Clary and Jace before stepping back.
Clary glanced sidelong at Jace who blinked before clearing his throat. "Jonathan speaks the truth. While we were there, we were made to live alongside werewolves and vampires and warlocks; the governing body, the Clave, was privy to the demands of a werewolf pack leader and a high warlock. We were forced to live in small, one room homes, built of hewn stone, and were forced into military service, guarding the city walls."
"I wanted nothing more," said Clary, stepping forward now, "than to be a wife and mother. When I was taken from Idris, I was with child; a beautiful little child who would have one day been a duke. I wanted that child. I wanted to stay at home and care for my husband and raise a family. I wanted to love my little baby." Clary bit her lip; the people seemed to be listening, the women especially. "But that was taken from me. The Clave ordered that I join their military ranks and train in battle combat, and the stress of training and my fear of the commanding officers, cost me the life of my child." The mothers in the audience clapped hands to their mouths in horror, and clutched their children, and the men's faces were hard and dark.
"We had friends," said Jace next, thinking fast. "Friends of ours who had lived in Idris all their lives and were farmers. Two brothers and sister, they were, and their name was Lightwood. All they wanted was land, and we thought, foolishly, that the Clave might give it to them. We convinced them to come with us…we were so wrong." Jace and Clary shared a sad look. "The eldest of the brothers was made into a-an assistant for a warlock and the sister was forced to work in a werewolf's shop, and the youngest boy was made to go to their school. All they wanted was a solitary life of fertile land, but they were made into servants of Downworlders by the Clave."
"But while my brother rescued us," Clary said tragically. "The Lightwoods were not so fortunate. They were taken back to the city by the Clave."
"You see," Jonathan said, stepping up again and casting Clary and Jace into shadow. "You see what these shadowhunters do with good people? They are but slaves to the Downworlder masses. Is that how you would live?" People shouted no in every tone of fear and anger they knew. "No, of course you would not! And I would not have you.
"We must act swiftly now, while the Clave regroups. I call upon you to come forward and take up your swords and your daggers and your axes, and to help me in this war against darkness. We must unite is we wish to protect our families." Jonathan cast a look back on Clary and Jace. "I have seen this evil destroy that which I love, and I would not have it so for you. Join me!"
Clary and Jace looked on as hundreds of men surged forward, willing to surrender their lives to a cause they knew so little of. The men shouted their support and swore their oaths, and the women came forward to give Clary their sincerest apologies, and all the while, Clary and Jace were begging them to stop. It was a cruel trick of Jonathan's to have humans fight in this war, because shadowhunters were sworn to protect mankind. It would make the battle all the more bloody and all the more senseless.
But there is nothing we can do, Clary thought as she watched the men come forward. They will swear their oaths and make their promises, and they will face the shadowhunters and die. And all because of my brother and his lies.
Isabelle didn't rise until late the following day, tucked warmly beneath the blankets on Simon's bed. She rolled over, expecting the wide, empty expanse that usually greeted her, but instead, felt the unmistakable presence of a body nearby. She reached out and ran her hand over the back of the figure, and he stirred, yawning in a very human way.
Simon, Isabelle thought with that instant sense of recognition. It's my Simon.
"Are you hungry?" Simon asked, turning over to greet her. "I can make you food. It's late day now, so maybe stew and mulled wine?"
"I'm not hungry," said Isabelle, but her eyes had widened at the idea of food and Simon was no fool.
"You've barely eaten at all. Let me make you something to tide you over for the rest of the day." Simon brushed Isabelle's lips with a kiss before swinging his legs around and sitting up straight. He stretched, almost cat-like, Isabelle thought, and then stood. "Stay here. I'll bring it up."
Isabelle raised an eyebrow, unaccustomed to such gentle care, but snuggled deeper into the covers. As soon as Simon had gone, she rolled on her back to take stock of the previous day's events. It seemed like a ceaseless nightmare: the summoning of the demon, the revelation of Lilith, and the dark, hopeless talk that had followed. She was grateful indeed to be tucked safely in Simon's bed, waiting while he made her something warm to eat.
He returned shortly, looking around and spotting her, watching him from beneath the blankets. "Hungry, or would you prefer me to let it sit?"
"Starving," Isabelle said truthfully, and emerged from the bed sheets looking ruffled and tired. "I haven't eaten a proper meal in a day."
Simon joined her in bed and handed her the tray. While she ate, he watched her. "So, what do you make of last night and all the talk of Lilith?"
"It's going to be difficult to convince the Clave, I think. They won't want to believe that Jonathan has Lilith on her side. Plus, we'll have to explain how we discovered the truth, and that will surely be ugly."
"Do you think you and Alec will be punished?"
Isabelle shrugged, savoring the taste of beef stew Simon had made. "I don't think so, but I think Magnus will be in trouble. I'm not so worried about me and Alec as I am about how the Clave will respond. We need swift action if we want to stop Jonathan, and as much as I want to count on Jace and Clary, we must assume they are out of commission."
"You don't actually believe that, do you?" It was hard to miss the worry in Simon's voice.
"Of course not," said Isabelle quickly. "But I do think we should be prepared for whatever Jonathan has planned, and we should not dare to hope that help will come unlooked for."
"I suppose not, no," Simon sighed. "And you say Jocelyn was furious?"
"I've never seen her more mad. I think she will be the one to convince the Clave of Jonathan and Lilith." Isabelle recalled the dark loon on her face and shivered. "I hope her word will be enough."
"So we shall definitely be going to war soon," Simon said slowly, rubbing his chin. "It's sooner than I would have liked, though not completely horrible."
"Why?" asked Isabelle, finishing off her stew and eyeing him closely. "The sooner we go, the sooner we stop Lilith and get Clary and Jace back."
"The sooner you run headlong into danger," said Simon darkly.
Isabelle flushed. "Simon, it's about time you understood what I am. I'm a shadowhunter. I'm a demon slayer. I am meant to go to war. You can't love me and not understand that."
Simon saw her disapproving face and looked away. "I understand it, but I don't like it. What if I told you I was going to fight Jonathan?"
"I would be scared but I wouldn't stop you. You're a vampire, after all." She pressed her lips together and Simon nodded his head. After a moment, she said, "Speaking of such things, have you eaten? I didn't see you drinking any blood, and it's been more than a day and-"
"I had a bit, yes," he said evasively.
"When?" asked Isabelle, looking suspicious.
Simon couldn't hold her gaze. "Last night…you don't recall…"
It took Isabelle a moment to understand, but when she did, her face burned red. "Oh! So you…you had enough then?"
"Plenty," said Simon, and he smiled grimly. "I didn't want to, you were so tired, but you seemed adamant."
"Why don't I remember?" she asked, wondering at her own forgetfulness. "It's not that I mind, but I'm simply curious."
"I haven't the slightest clue. I've only ever had blood that's been harvested for me. You were the first I ever had…fresh."
"Perhaps vampires have ways of magicing," suggested Isabelle, but Simon seemed uncomfortable and she returned to her stew and wine. "Well, at least we're both cared for then."
"It doesn't make me happy to know I can drink your blood and you forget," said Simon angrily. "I don't want to be a monster."
"You're not," said Isabelle, catching his eye. "You're a vampire, and it's what vampires do. Do you think I didn't know that? When I realized I was in love with you, I didn't put aside the knowledge that you were a vampire, I embraced it. I knew what I was getting into long before I stepped in."
Simon looked at her with a strange expression on his face. "How did I find someone like you?"
"Animal magnetism," laughed Isabelle, but she rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "Have you heard from either one of my brothers?"
"No one has sent word yet-"
But at that moment, a loud pounding on the door made them both jump. Simon smirked and Isabelle sighed, quietly slipping out of the bed and into a dressing gown. They headed down the stairs and to the door, quite sure who had come to call. At the door, Simon peered through the peep hold and shook his head.
"It's Alec and Max," he said, glancing once at Isabelle's state of undress. "Do you want to-?"
"No, le them in," she said and threw open the door.
Alec, holding Max by the shoulder, saw Isabelle at once and gaped; Max, for his part, darted into the house, muttering about vampires. "Where have you been?" demanded Alec after he got over his initial shock of seeing Isabelle almost naked.
"Here, where do you think?" Isabelle shot back in the same tone.
"Well you could have left word, couldn't you?" Alec snapped, but he came in, nodding his head to Simon. "I suppose you took off here right after out little chat?"
"Simon had a right to know," Isabelle sniffed.
"Well I suppose that's true," Alec said, running hand through his hair. "But there's more."
"More? Both Isabelle and Simon said at once.
Alec smiled. "Magnus, Luke, and Jocelyn called a meeting of the Clave today. They're going to tell the Clave all we learned."
"That was fast," Isabelle said with a quick look at Simon.
"You think so?" Alec asked sarcastically. "They're going to rally the Clave. They want an army ready to march in two weeks time."