Chapter Eight:

I made an effort to sit up from wherever I was and only feel back limply; my body seemed weighted with tons cement blocks. I blinked rapidly panic swelled in my chest and beginning to spread, as the blackness encasing me didn't seem to be subsiding. I could feel my chest heave with panicked hushed breaths as I attempted to lift my weighted down eyelids again.

"Miss Gray; Miss Gray please just try to relax." It was a female voice, unfamiliar to my ears; it seemed far away like Will's had.

I focused on the fiber's of where I was being held, light weighted footfalls moved from the right side of a floor to the left; there was a more weighted impact, packed into the ground fibers left of me; a chair with most likely a male sitting in it. There was what seemed to be a heavy weight in one corner of the room, dresser maybe? Most likely yes; I was in a room, a bedroom because what I was lying on was soft to my skin comfortable, much too comfortable to be anything such as a table.

I took in a slow deep breath and drew on the energy around me; I was deep inside somewhere, wherever I was because the closest thing I could find was a young man taking a walk. I breathed in a gain feeling the fibers of cobblestone streets and searched outside further, I was still in London; there were ten people in this building including myself; I pulled on the cord's connecting my in to the man sitting next to me and drew out his face, he was scarred Charlotte called him Brother Enoch he was healing me, or trying to at least. Both Nephlium's, of course.

I forced my eyelids to open as I blinked my heart rate calmed beating once again in rhythm of my clockwork angel. I looked straight ahead, I was indeed in a lowly light room, and witchlight the only light in it illuminated Brother Enoch's scars even further. He was the real Shadowhunter, the ones I remember fighting, vicious things they are, Fierce too.

I nodded to him in respect and could feel Charlotte's shock and surprise. Brother Enoch of course remained passive, I had forgotten how much they seemed to comfort me; surprisingly they were something solid, something old and familiar.

I could feel his pull effect me; I could feel him trying to reach out into my mind; speak to me. My lips quirked as I leaned in close to him, close enough to whisper "Something wrong Shadowhunter." The word came out sneered; not matter how much they comforted me at the moment; they were still my mortal enemy and that was something one just doesn't simply get over. "I was never fond of you and your claws digging through my head; what is it they use to say, 'beware of the leeches once they latch on they'll never let go.'" My lips quirked in a cruel sort of way; being here, now that I actually knew where I was, was bringing back old memories, memories I didn't particularly want to relive.

Brother Enoch's face remained passive; but I knew different, his mind was swarming, they lived a long time, I wonder how long he's been around. He stood up swiftly and I sprung out of bed faster than the other Nephlium, the woman, thought possible, he tensed staring at me with his scarred indented eyes and I stared back unmoving, hard and relaxed all at the same time. That is what they hated must about us, we were relaxed when we fought, at ease, it came as quick and simple as breathing did. "Tell me Nephlium was this as good for you as it was for me?"

He stepped forward toward me and his hand twitched at his side; he carried blades around his torso but not many, these Nephlium's could kill with a single thought but it doesn't quite work out very well if they can't reach your mind.

"Kill with a single mind threat; reach a part and pluck them out, slimly like a devil's trap, scars part the Nephlium's best." He almost seemed to flinch for a moment; Dominus would be laughing if he were here. I froze at the thought but remained where I was standing in front of the Shadowhunter; I had slipped away, back into my old ways, and the worst part of it was that I didn't even realize it until I was already gone. I felt like I should apologize but I would never offer it up.

Brother Enoch turned swiftly and swept out of the room pausing to warn Charlotte. "Downworlder; I'm insulted Nephlium, you should know better." He tensed his jaw muscles restricting once again before he retreated out of the wooden door slamming it.

My lips twitched for a second before I turned to Charlotte; she was a small woman, hard to believe that she would wear warriors clothes, these Nephlium seemed weak, if Dominus ever found out-

I shuttered just slightly as old images flashed through my mind, he would try to, and actually succeed in disarming their power, Dominus was a cruel man; he could rule very profoundly and we Maji's would rise again but he was not what I ever hoped to see on a thrown.

"Miss Gray; if you are not a Downworlder what are you?"

"Such bold language; Mrs." I kept my eyes trained on Charlotte as her eyes narrowed.

"I have never seen Brother Enoch respond in such a way, care to tell me why he warned me to 'release her before she burns us all.'"

I shrugged one shoulder smiling just slightly and said calmly "Perhaps he doesn't care for my dress."